Get This Right
by meltedheartofice
Summary: Kristoff has faced his own death-and worse, Anna's-multiple times; but nothing has prepared him for the new challenges that await back in Arendelle after the trip to the Enchanted Forest. Post-Frozen 2, canonverse story with a focus on character growth.
1. Chapter 1: Reindeer King

Kristoff was the first to notice that something had changed in the tone of the townspeople that morning.

After all, he was usually awake before Anna, and most of the others in the castle had not yet ventured out to the grounds when he started to feed the reindeer and horses.

The buzz in the air had already caught his attention slightly when one of the stable hands cautiously offered him the day's paper, saying, "I think you should read this."

He never suspected that the odd mood in the town would trace back to him.

Yet, there was the headline, clearer than the morning sky on the cold November day:

**Reindeer King: Is Queen Anna's Fiancé Fit to Help Rule?**

His cheeks immediately flushed at the headline, and the sentences that stood out in the article helped little.

_The practice of royalty marrying into common families is certainly not new, but few stories are as unique as that of Lord Kristoff Bjorgman of Arendelle. _

_Little is known about Bjorgman's history prior to the start of his courtship with then-Princess Anna, whose ascension to the throne abdicated by her older sister was itself unexpected._

_Kristoff Bjorgman had been recognized around town as an ice harvester with a questionably close relationship with his reindeer, Sven. Bjorgman is not known to have had any other family or close connections. After his rescue of Princess Anna during the Great Freeze, he quickly rose to the attention of the kingdom as someone frequently seen with the Royal Family, who seems to reside in the stables and bears the unprecedented title of Ice Master and Deliverer. With a role so unclear and a past so unknown, will Bjorgman be an asset to the throne, or a liability?_

The article went on, but Kristoff tossed the paper onto the hay bale next to him, burying his face in his hands.

Though he had never particularly enjoyed public attention, Kristoff was more ashamed for his fiancee than for himself. As well loved as she was, Anna was already trying hard enough to prove herself to the kingdom; she hardly needed a scandal to make her feel even further behind.

After thanking the stable worker for the information and confirming that he could borrow the paper, Kristoff started for the castle.

It was rare for him to feel a sense of dread as he approached-at least, it had been rare since early on in his relationship with Anna. The castle had begun to feel more and more like home, especially as a result of the person who lived there.

Now that Elsa had moved to Northuldra and Anna had the castle to herself, he felt even less like an intruder, and even more like someone who belonged there. In most ways, his marriage to Anna could not possibly come soon enough.

In other ways-ways highlighted by today's newspaper-he felt that the wedding would approach much too quickly, before he could possibly be prepared.

He drew a deep breath as he pushed open the heavy doors to the castle.

The first person he encountered was Gerda.

"Lord Kristoff! You're here early. Queen Anna is still in her chambers. I can notify her that you're here."

"Thanks, Gerda. Actually, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Of course. What about?"

Kristoff presented the article, and watched her face as she read and tutted.

"Queen Anna certainly won't be happy about this. She was already at the end of her rope with that reporter."

"He's not wrong, though. I have no experience and no idea how to help her run a kingdom. Is there any way...you could help me learn?"

"Learn what?"

"I don't know...to help Anna rule...royal etiquette and such...basically, to be the opposite of me?"

Gerda smiled sadly.

"I can certainly help you with etiquette, but not to be the opposite of yourself. You already possess so many qualities needed to rule-qualities that aren't easily taught, I might add. Let me go inform the queen, and then you and I can talk."

Kristoff nodded as she went off toward Anna's room.

Left to his own devices in the entryway, Kristoff paced and fiddled with the newspaper in his hands as he steeled himself for a difficult conversation. He knew that he could talk to Anna about anything, but he also knew that an attack on those close to her-no matter how reasonable-would send her into a frenzy. He would have to be careful not to get her too worked up before he had time to process everything himself.

"Kristoff!"

At the sight of her at the top of the stairs, with her hair in a regal-looking bun but still in her nightdress, he immediately smiled. It was impossible not to-especially when she glanced at the stairs, then at the banister, and chose to slide down, undeterred by her new role as queen.

Kristoff caught her in a hug before she hit the ground, both giggling like children.

"You're here early!"

With her observation, his heart fell. He would need to explain.

She pulled away from his hug and studied his face, furrowing her eyebrows suddenly as she spotted the rolled newspaper in his hand.

"What's wrong? Is there an insect problem?" She glanced around the entryway as he unrolled the paper.

"No, it's about an article."

"An article? Let me see it!"

He held the newspaper away from her as she instinctively grabbed for it, wanting to get a word in edgewise.

"Before you read it, I want you to take a deep breath and promise not to go after the author. He does have a point, and I have a plan to make this right."

"Kristoff, whatever he said about me, I can-"

"It's about me."

He finally allowed her to snatch the paper and scan the headline, her face becoming more determined and more angry as she read.

"'An asset or a liability'? Oh, I am going to _kill_-"

"No one, because killing journalists is a bad look for a monarchy," Kristoff finished calmly.

Anna softened as he gently laid his hands on her shoulders.

"Look. I know this is not exactly what we needed right now. But he does have a point. When I proposed to you, I had no idea that I was proposing to the queen-not that it changes anything!" he finished quickly, seeing the familiar spike of fear in her eyes. "I just...didn't expect my life to lead here, you know? I have no idea how any of this works."

"You have _some _idea! You've been around for the past three years! And what you don't know yet, you can learn!"

"Exactly. I'm going to learn. That's my plan. Anna, whatever you do and wherever you go, I always want to be by your side. Nothing could ever change that. But I can make some changes to be the man that you need."

"Kristoff, you already are."

Her eyes, now soft and loving, looked up at him above a half-smile. She pulled him closer and buried her head in his chest.

Kristoff continued.

"I'm going to talk to Gerda about working with me to learn royal etiquette. You have enough to do right now, and I thought it could be a good opportunity to learn some of the things you learned growing up."

Anna looked up at him with bright, excited eyes. "Ooh, I love that idea! Don't get me wrong, I love you exactly the way you are, but maybe she can help you gain some confidence. She loves you, too. I'm sure she'd be willing to help. And...I wonder if Elsa would have time…" she narrowed her eyes at the mention of her sister, seemingly uncertain. "I'll have Gale send her a message. But no pressure! This will be fun! You can all talk about the wedding, too, when I'm too wrapped up in other details!"

She hugged Kristoff one more time, parting with a kiss as she ran back up the stairs to get dressed.

He chuckled lightly as he watched her go.

Anna, always a brilliant spark of light since she had marched into his life three years prior, had seemed to glow even brighter since her coronation as queen. Kristoff and Elsa had both worried about how she would handle the sudden increase in responsibility, but it came much more naturally to Anna than either one had expected (or so he suspected, judging by the impressed glances he shared with Elsa as Anna resolved one crisis or another in the kingdom).

Shortly after Anna disappeared down the hallway, Gerda returned, descending the stairs with her usual swift decorum.

"Her Majesty seems to have taken the news well."

"Not at first, but we got there. She likes my idea of asking you for advice."

"Good. As do I. But the smile on her face as I passed her in the hall just now...don't minimize your role in that! In terms of supporting the queen, you seem to be doing just fine."

Kristoff couldn't help but smile as she continued.

"Come with me to the kitchens. We'll get some breakfast, and the secondary perk of the kitchen staff's take on the town gossip this morning."

Anna had mentioned to Kristoff that the kitchen was a fantastic place to catch up on the latest news around town, but Kristoff himself had generally used the kitchen for food alone.

As he entered the kitchen with Gerda, the staff paused their busy preparations to greet the two.

"Lord Kristoff! What a pleasant surprise! Have you seen today's article?"

The response was more cheerful than he expected; were they trying to taunt him?

"Y-yes, I have."

"The headline was a tad forward, but we agree with the quotes."

"Quotes?"

Kristoff stared down once again at the now-crumpling paper in his hands, scanning to see what he had missed. At the very bottom was the phrase, "Continued on page 2".

He flipped the page to see the article's conclusion.

_**Reindeer King, cont.**_

_Though the townspeople knew little about Bjorgman's past, their optimism about his present and future were apparent._

"_Kristoff has a good heart. He has supported and protected the kingdom until now-we have no reason to believe he won't continue."_

"_Some of us were skeptical when a mountain man rode down on a reindeer with the princess in his arms, but we have to admit that he has proven himself a man of integrity."_

"_He may not exactly resemble Agnarr or Runeard in terms of royal demeanor, but his compassion toward the kingdom is clear."_

_It's one thing to impress the townspeople as a citizen without a major title. As Prince Consort, who knows what we'll see from Bjorgman? Only time will tell._

"Huh. So not quite as bad as I'd thought," Kristoff mused as Gerda finished reading over his shoulder.

"Not so bad at all! Though, dear," the main chef leaned in to speak to him quietly, "I might recommend spending a little less time in the stables. You know, for the sake of the smell?"

Kristoff could feel himself blushing as she spoke, and a few of the younger kitchen staff giggled together near the back.

"All right, all right! Back to work everyone! Nice to see you, Gerda. And you, Lord Kristoff."

The two took their cue to leave, each carefully selecting a quick breakfast of bread, cheese, and fish from the spread prepared for the staff. Anna would be meeting with dignitaries shortly, sharing a traditional breakfast with them in the dining hall.

Gerda turned to him as they finished their food. "Right. So. A good first step would be to shower daily after leaving the stables."

"Daily?"

"I know it's unusual, but it's common in royal circles-and not all royalty lives and works in the stables. You heard the chef. The reindeer smell could be off-putting for citizens, much less foreign dignitaries. You might want to consider spending a little less time with the reindeer as you spend more time with the queen."

As of now, Kristoff had little interaction with anyone outside of Arendelle-not counting the trolls and the ice harvesters, of course. Shortly after Elsa's coronation, she had sent Kristoff on a diplomatic mission to provide ice to a few neighboring lands as a sign of good will. After all, Kristoff took his role as ice master and deliverer seriously, nepotism or not. At that point, though, he felt no need to look (or smell) like anything other than an ice harvester.

As for Sven, the two were best friends-but he had begun to consider that maybe the two didn't need to be constantly together. Back in Northuldra, Sven had interacted with the other reindeer, which had been good for him. It might help both of them to spend more time with companions of their own respective species.

"Thanks, Gerda. Let me finish up the morning feeding, and then I'll get right on it."

He tossed the rest of his breakfast in his mouth and walked toward the stables with a newfound sense of purpose, both nervous and excited for the future.


	2. Chapter 2: Royal Etiquette

_Note: This will eventually have somewhat of a plot, though calling it that could be slightly optimistic! The main_ _point is to give Kristoff some of the time and character development that I felt was missing from Frozen II (as much as I loved the movie for the most part)._

By the time Kristoff was finished with his morning routine, Anna's meeting had begun. Normally, this meant that Kristoff would spend time around town with Sven-but he paused at the thought.

As much as Kristoff loved his best friend, if ever there were a time to spend a morning apart, it might be today. Still, he didn't want Sven stuck in the stable all day with the royal horses; he simply wasn't used to that type of confinement long-term, even as luxurious as his new stable was compared to previous sleeping arrangements.

Kristoff approached the stall that had been designated for Sven shortly after the two had taken up residence in the royal stables.

"Hey buddy! I'm wondering if you and Olaf could spend some time around town together this morning. I have some things to take care of, and you know how antsy Olaf gets when Anna isn't around."

Sven gave him a look, but eventually tilted his head in hesitant agreement.

"Great. Thanks. I'll send Olaf out this way as soon as I find him."

Kristoff once again started for the castle, carefully dodging the usual commotion of the castle grounds as citizens walked in and out of the permanently-open gates to chat with each other around the gardens, selling various wares and attending to other business.

Olaf wandered the castle freely, but was generally not difficult to find. After searching some of his usual haunts, Kristoff eventually found the snowman in the library, his carrot nose buried in a book.

When Kristoff entered, he looked up.

"Reindeer King! Where's your loyal subject? And why are you in the library? Are you going to read? Do you know _how _to read? If not, I can teach you!"

Kristoff rolled his eyes.

"Yes, Olaf, I know how to read. I'm pretty sure we've had this conversation before. As for Sven, he's still in the stables. Looking for you, actually. I thought you two could head out into town and spend some time together."

Olaf's face lit up at the suggestion.

"Oh, that sounds like fun! We could stop by the school and read this book that Elsa recommended! It's about a mermaid. I don't know how it ends, but I bet it's happy."

"Great! Go get Sven when you're ready. He's excited to get outside."

"Wait! You're not coming with us?"

"No, I have other things I need to do today."

"Huh. I guess that's fine. I do have some important matters to discuss with Sven in private. We'll catch up with you later!"

Kristoff watched the snowman waddle off with the book and sighed, deciding on his next course of action.

Anna and most of the staff would be in a meeting for-however long meetings tended to last, and now Sven and Olaf were off on their own adventure.

He casually scanned the bookshelf where Olaf had been sitting until one title caught his eye-_Royal Etiquette. _Though presumably not a captivating read, it was exactly the kind of information that Kristoff currently needed. He pulled the volume off of the shelf and flipped to the introduction. The text itself looked about as dry as he expected, but he was surprised to see a series of markings and notes on the paper. One paragraph in particular seemed to have been studied intently.

"_King" and "Queen" are more than just titles. They hold the weight of a variety of expectations and responsibilities to one's kingdom. A ruler must possess an air of poise, sophistication, and grace; the ability to be organized, punctual, and straightforward in royal society as well as warm and personable toward one's subjects._

Here, "warm and personable" had been pointedly underlined.

_It is necessary to be in control of one's emotions in front of the kingdom, but able to express emotion when it is desirable to gain the trust and camaraderie of the populace._

The passage had been indicated with an arrow, each mention of emotion doubly underlined. In the margin, were the words, _Conceal, Don't Feel. _There was something vaguely familiar about the phrase that he couldn't immediately pinpoint. He was just beginning to ponder what it was when a familiar voice interrupted.

"Here I was expecting to find Olaf with his nose in a book...but this is a pleasant surprise."

He smiled instinctively at Anna. She was radiant as she had been earlier that morning, but more reminiscent of the sophistication and grace mentioned in the heavy volume in his hands than when she had slid down the banister in a nightdress.

"I just sent Olaf to spend the day with Sven. I thought it might be good for the two of them to get out...and for me to spend some time here."

"That's nice, but I have a better idea. You're going to accompany me to my meetings with local shopkeepers today!"

He could tell by the way she proposed the idea that she was expecting his protests. This was a bad sign, because it meant she would be prepared to respond. He expressed his thoughts anyway.

"Today? Are you sure? It might be better to wait until the gossip has died down-"

"That's exactly _why _today is the right time! The longer you hide from this, the more uncomfortable it will be. I'll be right with you the whole time. And there's nothing terribly important to discuss. I'm just checking in since my foreign meetings have finally died down. Fewer people traveling as the weather gets colder. Come on, it will be _fun!"_

Kristoff's eyes fell back on the underlined phrase, "warm and personable".

"Anna, this isn't yours, is it?"

He walked toward her and indicated the notes in the margin of the book in his hands. She met him in the middle, and he saw her expression change as her eyes fell on the phrase-

"_Conceal, Don't Feel. _No, that's Elsa all over. I can see why she left this behind."

Anna took the book, glancing at the title and flipping haphazardly through the pages.

"I'm sure that this is something that Father had her study. She did a lot more preparation than I did, naturally…"

As she trailed off, Kristoff saw the question lingering on her face, the one he could tell she was constantly trying to fight: _What if I don't measure up?_

"Anna-"

"Oh! I did send her a message, by the way. We'll see if she sent a response once we get outside. Let me change my shoes first. I hate walking in meeting shoes."

With that, she shoved the volume back at Kristoff and walked purposefully down the hall. He chuckled, shaking his head, and followed her.

After Anna changed her shoes and Kristoff convinced her to bring a warmer cloak, the two set out for the town square.

Anna chatted eagerly about the current happenings in town, preparing Kristoff to participate in her conversations. He expected to be bored, but was surprisingly intrigued by the inner workings of the town-and by how much Anna knew about everyone's daily lives, struggles, and triumphs.

As they visited each shop, shopkeepers and customers alike greeted Anna and Kristoff. While children circled around Anna to fill her in on their imaginative games and asked Kristoff to see how many of them could hang off of his one arm, adults expressed joy in the season's abundant harvest and their plans for winter.

There were a few minor conflicts among various citizens, and Kristoff noticed that Anna had a knack for empathizing with each person without blaming another. Most of the disputes seemed fairly petty to Kristoff, but Anna listened as intently as she did in her foreign policy meetings. When Kristoff could no longer tolerate a conversation, he busied himself by helping with whatever each person was working on: retrieving objects from high shelves, checking windows for drafts, and hoping he wasn't seeming too far away from "warm and personable".

With the chaos of the past weeks, many people took the opportunity to congratulate Kristoff and Anna on their engagement. She showed off her ring, gushing over Kristoff's taste in jewelry as he blushed and avoided eye contact.

It certainly was a nice reminder that he was, in fact, Anna's fiancé. Though no one had ever been outright cold to him, Kristoff could sense that they had never quite been sure what to make of him. Now that his role in Anna's life was more solid, they regarded him with more certainty, treating them more like a couple, or a single unit, rather than a princess and her quirky sidekick.

Between two of their stops, when Anna was talking with a woman selling preserves at a farm stand, Kristoff saw a gust of wind bringing a folded piece of paper. Anna instinctively reached for it, not breaking eye contact until a pause in the conversation, when she scanned the paper quickly and deposited it in her bag before Kristoff could see what it said. Sensing that she was waiting for a calm moment, he waited until they headed back to the castle for dinner at nearly dusk (lunch had been unnecessary, as they had visited multiple shops and sampled goods both savory and sweet).

As Anna sighed and declared the day a success, reaching for Kristoff's hand as they neared the castle gate, he finally remembered the message.

"Hey, did you end up hearing from Elsa?"

Anna wore a neutral expression, but Kristoff could tell she was holding something back.

"Yes, I did."

"...And?"

Anna sighed.

"Read."

_Anna,_

_I can certainly sympathize with Kristoff's dilemma, and would be happy to pass on whatever small pieces of advice I picked up in the past years._

_If you can spare them, I would recommend sending Kristoff and Sven to Northuldra for a short time. It would provide a break from the attention, and maybe Sven could find some new reindeer companions while I talk with Kristoff. If he wouldn't mind helping out, there are still some cleanup efforts necessary after the collapse of the dam._

_Love always,_

_Elsa_

Kristoff had to admit that the idea of visiting Northuldra again-under less pressing circumstances-sounded like a nice break. At the same time, leaving Anna was not something he had any desire to do, even for a short time.

"What do you think?" He asked her.

"I see what she means, but I'm just not sure if isolating yourself is the way to handle this."

"Well, no need to get rid of me right this second. I'll be around for as long as you want me here."

"Thanks, Kristoff. And I really do think today went well. Don't you?"

"I do, surprisingly. I had a lot of fun."

"It's not surprising! You're more known and loved around here than you'll admit," she argued.

"Only because they know _you_ love me, and no one wants to be on your bad side."

She made a face at him as he laughed teasingly.

When they returned to the castle, they proceeded to their normal evening routine. After dinner together in the dining room-not a location Olaf and Sven frequented-the four of them gathered in the sitting room. Anna sat down with the day's paperwork. While Kristoff would normally interact with Sven or tell stories with Olaf, he settled into an armchair with _Royal Etiquette. _It was even more difficult to focus on the dry volume after a long and eventful day, and with Olaf recounting facts and tales with Sven in the corner of the room. Still, he wanted to give it a solid effort.

After reading a particular sentence multiple times without absorbing any meaning, he looked up to see Anna's eyes meet his.

"You should go," she said quietly.

He sighed. "I really don't have to. I know things are busy for you here, and I don't want to leave you to handle it all on your own."

"Things here will always be chaotic. You should enjoy some time out in nature with Sven before we're married and you're trapped here for life."

Kristoff laughed and rolled his eyes.

"_Once again, _I'm not trapped. I chose this life, because I chose you. And I'll do it again, every single day."

"As sweet as that is, it's all right for you to spend some time away. Not _too _much time, but some time. Go visit Elsa. Queen's orders."

"Which queen?"

"Both of us."

"All right. But if ever you disagree, you're _my _queen, and I'll always side with you," he winked as she laughed at him, then walked over and fell into his arms for a kiss.

After sitting together in a comfortable silence, Kristoff finally spoke.

"Anna?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you procrastinating on your paperwork?"

"You know me too well. I'm also spending time with you, though. I love you, Not Paperwork."

"I love you too, Never Going to Finish the Paperwork at a Reasonable Hour."

They giggled, but Anna still made no effort to move, and Kristoff wasn't quite ready to force the issue. After all, Anna usually slept late anyway.


	3. Chapter 3: Unknown

It was decided that Kristoff would leave for Northuldra in a few days' time, after joining Anna for a farewell dinner for the visiting foreign dignitaries.

These dinners, while never Kristoff's favorite, had become somewhat routine before his engagement to Anna.

It was different now that they were engaged and she was in charge of the kingdom. Before, he had been a background member of the gathering, acting as just another citizen (albeit one close to the royal family, especially Princess Anna).

Now, he was her fiance. He loved that fact more than almost anything when they were alone or in the company of close friends; but at stuffy, formal dinners, it brought him more attention than he wanted.

Anna was good at keeping the conversation going. She would bring him into it when he was knowledgeable about a certain subject, and would hide his inexperience with her own animated chatter when he wasn't.

At one point, though, he was off to the side of the crowd forming around Anna when a Duke of Somewhere came up and engaged him in conversation.

When he held out his hand after an introduction, Kristoff offered his in return. He hated having to use titles, but knew that here it was necessary.

"Nice to meet you. I'm...Lord...Kristoff..of Arendelle," he articulated, still sounding awkward and stilted when bringing up his role.

"So you are from here?"

"Near here, yes."

"And how was your family involved with the Royal Court?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Your family! What were their titles? What did they do?"

"My family. Ah. Well. They were ice harvesters."

"Ice harvesters! You come from common folk? They must be happy that you have risen above your station."

Kristoff could feel the undertone of rudeness in the Duke's comment, and felt the color rise in his face; but then he thought of the trolls and responded, "They're just happy that we're happy," with an almost genuine smile.

The Duke didn't have much time to react before he was pulled into another conversation and Kristoff was left to exhale the breath he didn't realize he had been holding and turn back to Anna.

She was still engaged in her own conversation, but caught his eye and smiled. He smiled back before turning away, using the array of chocolates that he knew Anna was eyeing as an excuse.

As he prepared a plate for his fiancee, Kristoff couldn't help but reflect on the fact that, while he immediately thought of Bulda and Cliff when anyone mentioned family, there was some other family lurking in the shadows of his mind.

To say that he hailed from ice harvesters was, to be honest, probably generous. His earliest memories involved wandering around while his father tried to perform odd jobs, finally settling on ice harvesting as a fleeting option.

One day, Kristoff had awoken to find that his father was no longer there. Having gotten to know some of the other ice harvesters, he asked around; but the answer he got was simply, "Gone." Every gruff voice of every ice harvester seemed to be equally vague by consensus.

Privately, Kristoff had debated whether he would prefer "gone" to mean "dead" or simply "moved on". When his new start three years ago had given him yet another warm and welcoming family, he had pushed the thought even further to the back of his mind. As the trolls always said, though, the past has a way of returning.

When there was finally a lull in Anma's conversation and she turned to mingle with another group, Kristoff met her and handed her a plate of her favorite sweets. She looked at him with wide, dramatic eyes.

"Have I ever told you that I love you?" She asked.

"Once or twice," he chuckled, leaning in to whisper, "You're doing great as queen."

She smiled. "Thanks. You too. Well, not as queen, but you know what I mean."

She kissed his cheek and ushered him over to the next group of guests to be entertained.

It was later than they would have liked when the guests finally left to rest up for their impending journeys. Kristoff, though he too had a journey planned for the following morning, went to the kitchen for tea and met Anna in her study.

She had tossed her shoes dramatically toward the center of the room, and was slouched on a comfortable sofa and writing at an odd angle. Kristoff grinned at her from the doorway, and she scrunched up her nose at him, anticipating his teasing.

"Well you can't expect a queen to act dignified _all _of the time, can you? Except maybe Elsa. No idea how she did it. Anyway, sit down and hand me that mug."

They sat in mostly comfortable silence before Kristoff spoke.

"I don't have to leave tomorrow, you know. There's been so much happening lately. I don't want you to feel like I'm leaving you to deal with all of it on your own."

"Kristoff, as much as I appreciate the gesture, I think I'll be fine."

"I know you'll be fine. My only worry is that you might forget how amazing you are without me there to constantly remind you."

Anna rolled her eyes.

"No, I think this will be good! I mean, I don't like being apart, obviously. But it won't be for long. I have things pretty much under control. And I think you've earned a break."

"_I _have? How?"

"Kristoff, don't think I haven't noticed how hard you've been trying to make a good impression. Believe me when I say that all you need to do is _be yourself._"

Seeing the doubt in his face, she put her papers aside and wrapped her arms around him, burying her head in his chest while he naturally wrapped her up in a hug and kissed the top of her head.

"Is there anything you want me to pass on to Elsa while I'm there?" Kristoff asked.

"Oh! Chocolate. I have a bunch, but just take whatever will fit…"

As she went to gather the rations, Kristoff immediately felt her absence. These moments with Anna were the ones he cherished, the ones that made everything else worthwhile-when they weren't Queen and Ice-Whatever of Arendelle, but just Anna and Kristoff, allowing themselves to rest and be madly in love.

They spent the rest of the evening in that relaxed state, making it even more difficult for Kristoff to leave in the morning. Seeing how excited Sven was to finally meet up with other reindeer-under less stressful circumstances than the last visit-helped slightly.

They reached the forest in the early afternoon. Kristoff soon realized that he didn't exactly know how to get back to where Elsa and the others were living. Just as he wondered where he should even start, a gust of wind circled through his hair, blowing dead leaves in a whimsical zigzag in front of him. He followed the helpful breeze, and soon ran into Elsa, who was traveling the opposite way on the Nøkk.

"Kristoff! You found us."

She dismounted gracefully and raised a hand to rub Sven's ear in greeting.

"Hi, Elsa. Thanks for coming to get us. How's life in the forest?"

"Great," she said simply, and for once, she truly seemed to mean it. "How is Anna?" Now, the nervous undertone had returned to her voice.

"Also great. Really seems to be in her element with the whole ruling thing."

"That's a relief. Not that I didn't believe in her, of course!"

She added the last part hastily, and he nodded. He knew what she meant-in fact, he had experienced the same feeling.

When they were still in Northuldra, Elsa staying and Anna ruling had somehow seemed like the most natural thing in the world. Once they had returned to Arendelle, however, reality had set in.

Elsa and Anna had spent a large chunk of time on their own, trying to decide how to explain their adventure and their decision to the kingdom. The dynamic between the two had changed quickly-suddenly, Anna had taken the lead, with Elsa trying to help without hovering or giving away her anxieties about the coming change and the kingdom's reaction. When he could tell that they were on the verge of fueling each other's descent into self-doubt, Kristoff had tried to conveniently choose that moment for a hot chocolate break or to relay a message to the busy queen-to-be and...queen-to-not-be?

In the end, they had spun a marvelous and honest tale that had mesmerized the kingdom with stories of far off magic, and broken their hearts with the truth of past wrongs. There was certainly shock when, at the very end, they announced the change in rule; but they did so hand in hand, with assurances that Elsa would never truly leave for good.

Elsa had stayed until after Anna's coronation, which had happened in a whirlwind. She had chosen the coronation ball to announce her engagement to Kristoff, which had officially brought him into the madness.

When they arrived at the camp after a ride through the breathtaking woods-Kristoff on Sven's back, Elsa on the Nøkk's-Elsa gave Kristoff a short tour. Ryder was the first one to greet him, and offered a greeting to Sven as well.

"Nice to see you again, Kristoff! I assume you're here for more romantic advice, since mine worked so well the last time?"

The three of them chuckled as a couple of reindeer from the local herd nudged against Ryder as they investigated Sven with interest. They gestured to each other, looking back at the larger herd grazing nearby.

Kristoff turned to Sven, giving him some carrots to share. "Go ahead, buddy. You earned it."

While Ryder introduced Sven to the rest of the reindeer, Kristoff turned to Elsa.

"So. I was hoping to ask for some advice. I don't exactly have any experience with the whole 'trying to impress royalty' thing, and since you were queen for years and prepared to be queen for years before that-"

"...And because it came about as naturally to me as it does to you, you thought I could give you some tips on how to get by?" She laughed lightly.

"No! I mean, you were a great queen! At least you didn't have to worry about how to get rid of the reindeer smell."

"No, I just had to worry about accidentally destroying the kingdom and its people at any given moment. Believe me, the reindeer smell is easier to tolerate."

"Elsa, I know the kingdom appreciates your abilities and everything you've done for them."

"Thank you. I didn't ask you here to complain, though. I actually did want to talk about Anna's note. Come have a seat, we'll grab some food."

"Oh! I just remembered that Anna sent me with chocolate for you."

Elsa grinned. "Of course she did. Oh wow, there's enough for everyone! Ryder and Honeymaren will have to thank her later."

As they started to eat, Elsa broke the silence.

"My father always tried to instill in me the qualities and strategies of an effective ruler. I always watched him, eager to try to be like him and do everything he did for the kingdom. But the one lesson that studying never taught me came from my mother.

"Mother didn't take on the same level of royal duties as Father. In public, he was the one who spoke. He was the one speaking in quick, hushed tones or writing furiously when there was a crisis.

"But Mother was always there by his side. When he had this look that said everything was just too much, she was right there to look back at him with comfort. In joyful times, they would dance across the ballroom as if no one else existed in the world, and everyone who saw them couldn't help but smile."

Kristoff smiled too, picturing not only Agnar and Iduna, but also the similar dances that he and Anna had shared in the very same room. Elsa continued.

"Whatever they did, they did together. That's what taught me that ruling is a two-person job. As much as I tried to involve Anna, I just never learned to rely on the people around me. I'm not two people. I'm...just me."

"Just you?"

"I've always had a sense that I was different. In a bad way, at first, but then...just different. I love the people of Arendelle, and of Northuldra, but I've never really desired to let people in...not the way that Anna does, at least. I belong here, united with the spirits."

As she spoke, Bruni had crawled into Elsa's hands, and the two of them watched him with amusement before Kristoff responded.

"I think I can understand that. I used to feel the same way, sort of. But not since I met Anna."

"I should certainly hope not!" Elsa laughed, but then smiled calmly and said, "I'll never forget the moment you proposed. The looks on your faces...pure happiness, from both of you. I couldn't ask for anything more for her, or for you. And that," her tone changed again, "Is why I wanted to talk to you."

She paused as he looked up from the fire spirit, his blush from her last few lines fading.

"You may have a new title of some sort and a busier schedule and a more confining wardrobe and living space, but your most meaningful role is supporting Anna. And you already do. That's one of the many reasons that I entrusted the kingdom to Anna. To both of you. I trust her judgment-as do you-but I worry sometimes about how she'll feel as queen because of how I felt. But I can tell it will be different for her."

Kristoff sat in silence, taking in everything Elsa had said, before hesitantly asking a question.

"How did it feel to you? Being queen?"

She gave a melancholy smile. "Like giving everything I had, and still feeling guilty for not giving more. I didn't tell Anna that way," she said quickly, and then added, "Not that I don't trust her. But you know how she gets! Telling her you've been hurting is like…"

"Kicking a baby reindeer?" Kristoff offered, looking toward the grazing herd that Sven had enthusiastically joined.

"Something like that," Elsa laughed.

"And then, after a moment, it's like having your problems chased down by the angry mother of that baby reindeer."

They laughed for a moment, then settled back into silence, observing the reindeer and greeting whomever passed by their seats near the fire.

After a while, Elsa spoke again, this time hesitantly.

"I wanted to ask you another question. You know that I took Anna back to Ahtohallan to experience the memories that I saw...and I was wondering if you would want to go. I have a sense that she has some answers for you as well."

Kristoff shifted uncomfortably. He had been prepared to face hard truths about his odor, sense of style, and general presentation for Anna's sake, but this was another matter entirely.

"Thank you. But, ah...not at the moment. Maybe someday." He stared down at a chunk of bread that he had been eating with fish cooked over the fire. He could sense that she was studying him.

"If I may...is there any particular reason?"

He thought about how to phrase it.

"It's just...if there are answers I don't have that I should, I could always find them out in the future. But if there are things that don't need to be known...I can't un-know them. That probably sounds silly."

"No, I don't think it does," Elsa offered thoughtfully.

"I, uh, found this book in the library. Anna said it was probably yours." He pulled the heavy volume of Royal Etiquette out of his traveling pack.

She wrinkled her nose. "Ah, yes. I remember. I've since thrown out some of the advice and philosophies from that time...but some of it was useful. Here, let me flag some relevant passages for you."

She took the heavy book and flipped through its pages, carefully considering. Kristoff thought that, for better or worse, this seemed more like the Elsa he remembered from Arendelle.


	4. Chapter 4: Homeward Bound

While Elsa attended to the daily conversations about the status of both nature and spirit in the forest, Kristoff wandered toward the reindeer herd to check on Sven and catch up with Ryder.

Sven was in his element with the other reindeer, and seemed particularly interested in a certain female. If Kristoffwasn't mistaken-and he usually wasn't-it even seemed that Sven was trying to impress her with his superior knowledge of romance.

Ryder followed his gaze, saying, "Those two seem to be getting along well. It's good to see. I've always thought of that female as kind of a loner. The other reindeer don't spend much time with her. Don't get her jokes, I guess."

"Sven would be a good reindeer to help with that, considering he's spent his whole life putting up with _me_ and my jokes. You must have your work cut out for you with this large of a herd. Have you been able to explore much outside of the forest?"

Not yet. Hopefully soon. It's strange to think about meeting new people after a whole life of...no new people. At least until your group came along. You know?"

"That makes sense. I'm not exactly a people person, but I'd be happy to show you around Arendelle some time. Maybe you could come with Elsa for one of our game nights.

"Elsa does game nights?"

"It's a fairly new tradition. Mandated by Anna, of course. Elsa...will hopefully improve at charades over time."

"Ooh, I bet I'd be good at charades. I play it with the reindeer sometimes when I get bored. They're better at guessing my words than I am at guessing theirs, but it's fun."

The two of them talked for a while, comparing stories of reindeer care and childhoods in different forests, before returning to the camp to meet other Northuldrans.

As dusk approached, a sudden gust of wind brought a small piece of paper. Elsa started to hold her hand out instinctively, but the breeze took a sudden turn and circled around Kristoff, who finally plucked the small slip of paper from the air.

Elsa chuckled. "Looks like someone misses you already!"

But instead of blushing, as she had likely expected, Kristoff suddenly went white. Elsa rushed to his side.

"What is it?"

"I need to leave. Where's Sven?"

"Don't worry about Sven. I can get us there."

Before asking how, Kristoff reread the paper Elsa had handed back to him.

_Lord Kristoff,_

_In spite of Her Majesty's protests, I thought I should inform you that Queen Anna has fallen ill with a slight fever and has had to cancel her meetings for today and tomorrow. Though we expect a full and speedy recovery, some of the townsfolk requested your presence instead, and I thought I should inform you._

_With regards,_

_Gerda_

Of course it didn't sound awful, but Kristoff hated the fact that Anna was sick, alone, and didn't want him to be informed. If they rushed back, how would she react? Would she at least be happy to see him?

Kristoff shook his head. He was being ridiculous. Anna was just trying to be strong and prove herself-in spite of her frequent complaints about the same sort of behavior from Elsa. That is, back when Elsa was queen and handling the stress that Anna now faced…

I

Elsa was now interacting with the Nøkk, who turned more solid and icy as they pressed their heads together. Elsa, seeming to ask permission, flicked her hands to gracefully form a small sled behind the water horse.

It was only large enough for one person, so Elsa climbed on the Nøkk's back.

"Get in. It might be difficult to hold onto since it's made of pure ice, but I figure you have enough experience."

Kristoff climbed in. It was indeed cold and slippery, but she had produced multiple foot and handholds; and after he was seated, she flicked her hands to seal the edges.

"Ryder, could you look after Sven if I leave him here?"

"I don't think that will be a problem for either of us."

"Good. Thank you."

After hasty and apologetic goodbyes from both, Elsa motioned to the Nøkk, and they were off.

As soon as they reached the fjord, Elsa turned to the side. As the Nøkk rode, smoothing the water's surface, Elsa froze the water under the small sled to prevent Kristoff from drowning. He couldn't help but think, as he sat there feeling useless, that the whole operation was very impressive. Still, he was more worried about Anna.

He should have checked on her before he left. He knew how much she liked to sleep in, and after a late night hosting guests, he wanted to leave her to it. Still, if he had known she was ill, he wouldn't have left.

Since their engagement-and really, for a while before then-life had been so hectic. Anna had been consumed with her worries about Elsa, and then with her worries about the changes in the kingdom, and Kristoff had felt so helpless to support her. It was the least he could do to be with her now, when she was sick, which (he knew from experience) always made her cranky.

They reached Arendelle in a short time, but it had still seemed far too long. The Nøkk brought them all the way to the castle, attracting looks from the illuminated windows of the dark town. Kristoff was mildly embarrassed, but not enough to stop him from getting to Anna as quickly as possible.

Finally, they were throwing open the doors of the castle and running to Anna's chamber.

Kristoff allowed Elsa to enter first, then followed her in.

Anna was sitting up on her bed, hair messy, surrounded by papers. When she looked up and saw them, she barely reacted, but sniffed and said in a deadpan voice, "Have you come to save Arendelle from its useless queen?"

Kristoff started to speak, but Elsa spoke first, her definitive tone causing him to stop.

"Anna of Arendelle, do you hear yourself? And this from the sister who taught me to ask for help when I needed it! Why didn't you send for us?"

Crossing her arms in a motherly way, she strutted across the room and plopped down on the bed, placing her hand on Anna's forehead.

Kristoff sat down in a chair next to the bed and took Anna's hand.

"She's right. Asking for help isn't a sign of failure. Anna, when you keep me in the dark, I feel useless. And I seem to remember someone else I know complaining about feeling the same way just a short while ago...

He glanced at Elsa, hoping his insinuation wouldn't offend her, but she was nodding in agreement.

Anna groaned. "Fine. I know you're right. But why is it so hard? Why don't I feel like anyone trusts me to be able to do this on my own?"

"It comes with the crown. Besides, you don't need to do this on your own, remember?"

As Elsa finished speaking, Kristoff studied the ring on Anna's finger. He never got tired of seeing her wear it, or feeling it as he brushed his fingers over hers. She noticed him and smiled.

Elsa started gathering up the papers. "I'll start getting these in order. Kristoff will take your meetings tomorrow around town. Oh, and get a warm beverage from the kitchens."

In a few minutes, in spite of Anna's feeble protests, she was lying on a paper-free bed, wrapped in her mother's shawl, with a cup of hot cocoa. After catching up for a while, Elsa left to handle the paperwork.

" Elsa, you really don't have to-"

"Anna!"

"Fine. Sorry. I mean-thank you. It's so nice to have both of you here."

"Any time," Elsa smiled.

Anna turned to Kristoff, grabbing his hand in both of hers.

"I am really glad you came back. I just wanted you to have some time for yourself. I feel like Elsa and I just made these big choices and changes, but your path was just chosen for you."

"But Anna, you _are_ my path."

"But what _else_ do you want out of life? I don't want you to feel like you're chasing my dreams instead of your own. What do you dream about?"

"Honestly?"

She nodded, shifting in anticipation. Kristoff sighed.

"It's hard to say. Before I met you, I never really bothered to have dreams. I liked ice harvesting, but it was just...something to do. A way to survive. I never really thought there would be more to life than that. "

She looked at him with sad but understanding eyes.

"What about when you were a kid? I used to dream about true love and fancy balls and big weddings. What did you like to think about?"

Kristoff sniffed uncomfortably. "I guess...a family. I loved being with my huge troll family, but I always wanted a human family, too. And now I have one. And you and I can...make that family even larger. If you want."

Anna smiled, her face softening. "Of course! I've already told you that a big family sounds lovely. Plus, I don't know if we could have a small family even if we wanted to. You are very handsome, you know," she said, winking dramatically as Kristoff sputtered on his hot chocolate and felt his face flush.

"Ah...do I need to read you the 'impropriety' section of Elsa's book?" He asked weakly.

She pretended to think about it. "It might help me fall asleep."

They laughed.

"We should get married," Anna said suddenly.

"I thought we had already agreed on that."

"Right, but we should get married, like, _right away_. "

"Anna, as much as I would love that, everyone is still exhausted from planning a sudden coronation, and a sudden wedding might be the last straw that leads to a complete rebellion. Doesn't it take time to plan a wedding?"

"Yes, but I've got most of the details worked out. "

"What are we going to eat?"

"Soup, roast, and ice cream."

"And chocolate?"

"Lots of chocolate."

"And a huge chocolate cake?"

" No, " Anna corrected, "Carrot cake."

Kristoff smiled, then continued. "What are we going to wear?"

"I'll wear a white dress. You'll have to wear something fancy, probably."

"I can live with that. You do seem to have this planned out. We just need to decide when. And we should probably give everyone some time to plan."

Anna thought for a minute. "I have always liked the idea of a summer wedding. Because then we can have bouquets of -"

"Sunflowers! Your favorite! " Kristoff finished, and Anna smiled.

"Maybe not in June, because that's already my birthday."

"So, July?"

Anna smiled. "July sounds great."

"The month we first met... " Kristoff mused.

Anna tentatively interrupted their thoughts.

"Where will we live?"

Kristoff blinked. "I was thinking here, unless you're the queen of some other kingdom I don't know about."

Anna wrinkled her nose. "I just mean...We keep offering to move you into the castle, but you feel more comfortable in the stables. I could always visit you there, or-"

"Anna, don't be silly. Of course I'll move in. It will be different then."

"Different how?"

"I think you know what I mean."

"I think so too, but I want to hear you say it."

Kristoff drew a deep breath. "Anna, it will be different because we'll be together. Always, and forever. The trolls always said that marriage is a special kind of magic. I can't wait to share that with you."

Now Kristoff was blushing again, and Anna was beaming. Suddenly she sat up, her expression changed.

"The trolls...magic...Kristoff, how are we going to involve them in the wedding?! I know they don't like to be seen, but they have to see us get married! They tried to marry us themselves once!"

"Yeah, but I don't think troll marriages are officially recognized among royalty. Hm...maybe they would come if we split them into groups, had them stand on each other's shoulders, and got big fluffy clothes to-"

"Kristoff, I'm being serious! They're family. We need to make this work."

"I'll talk with them. Don't worry. You've got enough on your mind already."

"Yes, but I want my mind to be on the right things. The important things. Like you."

She leaned toward him, and he leaned back, until their lips touched and his mind was on nothing else.

They were interrupted by a small burst of snowflakes that opened the door with an obvious creak. They sprung apart as Elsa walked in, clearing her throat and teasing, "Just making sure you don't need me to read you the book pages on impropriety."

"I said the same thing!" Kristoff blurted, before realizing the implication and clamming up as Elsa raised an eyebrow and Anna laughed hysterically, triggering a coughing fit.

Elsa handed her a glass of water.

"We were actually planning our wedding. We were thinking July. Do you think you can make it? I mean, if you're too busy...what are you doing?"

Elsa had placed her hand on Anna's forehead. "Making sure you're not delirious with fever. You must be if you think I would miss your wedding even if you tried to keep me away. July sounds lovely."

"Good. And the cold feels nice anyway. I have a headache."

Elsa gently sprinkled snowflakes over her sister's forehead as Kristoff spoke.

"I'll show up at the wedding if I'm not too busy. I'll have to check with Sven, and-Ow!"

He rubbed his shoulder where Anna had punched him while the sisters laughed. Anna yawned.

"I should let you get some sleep," Kristoff offered reluctantly. He wished both sisters a good night, and made his way toward the stables, dreaming of a time when the walk would no longer be necessary.


	5. Chapter 5: Finding a Place

Kristoff made a point to be awake, dressed, and prepared for the day earlier than usual. He walked briskly to the castle. Not finding anyone who would know about the day's meetings, he continued toward Anna's chamber.

Likely hearing the approach, Elsa walked out of Anna's room, still dressed for sleep.

"Kristoff! You're here early. Anna is fine, but her fever still hasn't broken. Gerda has a list of the meetings you'll need to attend to while Anna recovers. You still have some time, but I'll go find her."

While Elsa hurried off to prepare for the day, Kristoff peered through the open door behind her. Anna, if she had ever been awake, was now back to sleeping soundly. She looked hilarious when she slept-Elsa liked to tease her about this fact-but she still never ceased to make Kristoff's heart skip a beat. Seeing her like this was a glimpse into her private life, one that kingdom's other residents would never experience.

He paced the halls, trying to remain quiet, and closed Anna's door when Elsa and Gerda appeared so that he wouldn't wake her.

As Gerda went through the schedule, Kristoff realized that all of the residents and most of the issues were familiar to him. He had been visiting various citizens with Anna, and even when he didn't, she had filled him in on the happenings around the kingdom.

Still, he was nervous to accomplish all of these meetings and conversations on his own for the first time.

As Gerda finished up the list, Elsa re-emerged, dressed for the day and looking more refreshed. Kristoff decided to reach for one last lifeline.

"Elsa, maybe you'd like to attend these meetings with me? I'm sure everyone misses you!"

Elsa gave him the same look she gave to Olaf when he was acting up or being ridiculous.

"Kristoff, you can do this. It's important to build trust with the citizens of Arendelle. And besides, I have other matters to attend to here. I want to make sure that everything is organized once Anna is well again in order to save her some trouble."

Kristoff sighed. "All right. That's nice of you. I can do this...hopefully."

Gerda smiled at him and handed him the schedule. "I trust that you can. You smell nice today, by the way."

Kristoff blushed. "I, uh, left my reindeer in Northuldra. I thought it might be a nice break for him. And for me, I guess, from smelling like a reindeer…"

Elsa and Gerda chuckled before Gerda continued. "Elsa, a few letters have come in, and I thought you might want to take a look and draft responses on Anna's behalf."

"Of course! Good luck, Kristoff. Fill me in when you get back."

With that, the two women walked off toward the study, leaving Kristoff alone outside of Anna's door.

He decided that he should get some breakfast for Anna in case she was hungry. Plus, walking to the kitchens and back would be something to do, reducing the temptation to either wake Anna from her much-needed rest or start walking off toward Northuldra to recover Sven (or to live there among the reindeer himself).

When he returned, he placed a small breakfast tray on a table next to Anna's bed. He watched her for a moment, not wanting to wake her, then gently let go of the tray and went to leave. Before his hand got too far, hers suddenly grabbed onto it. She opened her bright blue eyes, sleepy but clearly awake.

"Stay. Let's talk."

He smiled and sat down.

She rubbed her eyes and yawned before speaking.

"I forgot to ask-did you have a chance to visit Ahtohallan?"

"No, I...wait, that was your idea?"

"And Elsa's. But yes, I thought it would be good for you. I'm sorry I made you come back before you had a chance."

"Actually, it wasn't that. I'm just...not sure if I want to. Maybe some things are best left unknown. At least for now…" Seeing her confused expression, he continued, "And if I do end up going, I want you to be there with me."

Now she smiled. "I didn't want to pressure you-I thought if I went, you might feel uncomfortable. I guess Elsa would have to be there either way, but she would be good about giving you privacy. I didn't want you to feel like you _had _to share everything with me."

"I want to. I want to share my whole life with you."

"Good. I'm sorry I didn't bring you along when Elsa brought me-it just felt like something we needed to do together. See our mother again. Learn about our past. But all of my _best _memories included you," she smiled at him.

"Anna, it's fine. You don't have to justify spending time with Elsa. I'm just lucky that you also make time for me."

"And now that the whole 'mysterious voice causing spirits to attack the kingdom' crisis is over, I'll be sure to prioritize our time together more. I'm glad that Elsa has finally found her place...even though she's here less often, I don't feel so desperate to chase her down, you know?"

"Yeah, I know," he answered, and he truly did. When Anna went chasing after Elsa, Kristoff felt like he was chasing after her-it brought him right back to their very first meeting, when Anna was running up a mountain, desperate to help Elsa, and Kristoff was just trying to keep her safe.

It wasn't that he didn't trust Elsa. And of course, he knew how much she cared about Anna.

Elsa just didn't always seem to understand Anna's need for company and reassurance the way that Kritsoff did, even though both he and Elsa could be considered loners.

When Anna clung to him, Kristoff knew to stay steady, to be her rock until she was confident that he wouldn't run away. When Anna clung to Elsa, sometimes it seemed to agitate Elsa even more, which agitated Anna more, which devolved into a cycle that spiraled away from him, leaving him frozen in confusion and helpless to intervene.

One of the first such incidents he witnessed after the Great Thaw happened as soon as the weather started to change. No one wanted to admit that the slight chill in the air brought them back to the uncontrollable July winds, to the sight of Anna shivering, weakening, freezing...but the thought hung among them in tension, which was sometimes thicker than the smoke that rose from their chimneys.

One night, Kristoff awoke to the sound of rustling in the stables, and barely had time to react before he was suddenly struck by something small, warm, and shaky.

It was Anna. She had hurtled into the stables and into his arms, and was now sobbing quietly against his chest.

The sound immediately startled him out of his sleep to be acutely aware of his surroundings.

"Anna! What is it? Are you hurt?"

He wrapped one arm around her, using the other to cradle her face in his hand, encouraging her to meet his eyes.

Finally, she looked up. Teary-eyed, messy-haired, and barefoot, wearing nothing except her usual dressing gown (which, at that point, he had never seen).

"No, I'm fine. I'm sorry to wake you. It was just a nightmare. It's silly."

He hugged her back against his chest.

"Anna, don't be sorry. I'm here. Do you...want to talk about it?"

She sniffed, wiped her face, tried to regain her composure.

"It was just...that day. You know...you know that I saw you, right?"

Of course he did. He could never forget the look in her eyes as they had met his. The desperation he had seen just seconds before had turned into a different kind of desperation, going from "_Please help!" _to "_I'm sorry."_

"Yes. I remember. I think about it, too. _A lot, _actually."

It was true. And an understatement.

She sat up. This seemed to strengthen her, and she spoke next. "I remember how hopeful I was, even when all hope seemed to be gone. Because even if it didn't work, even if I froze anyway, I wanted to spend my last moments with you," she blushed, "And I felt kind of ridiculous, you know, after the fact, when we were all awkward again and really hadn't known each other for that long, but now...what if I had never gotten to kiss you? To tell you how I feel?"

Her huge blue eyes met his, filled with fear and sadness and _gratefulness, _and he kissed her just to prove that he could.

"That...would have been terrible," he said simply. They couldn't help but chuckle slightly. They sat in silence for a while, not knowing how long, until he had decided that he needed to get her back to the castle. He wrapped her in a jacket, leant her some shoes that were ridiculously oversized for her feet, and grabbed her hand and a lantern to head back through the darkness to the castle.

They didn't make it far before they heard her.

"_Anna! Anna, are you out here?"_

They looked at each other, eyes wide. Elsa's voice jolted Kristoff back to the moment they had just discussed-seeing Elsa clutch her sister's frozen form, sobbing.

They picked up their pace, running toward the sound until they saw another small lantern in the distance.

"Elsa! Elsa, I'm right here!" Anna yelled, and Elsa turned toward her and met her in the middle of the distance between the two.

"Anna!" She hugged her sister with relief, then continued with an edge to her voice. "Anna, what in the _world _were you-"

Her eyes shifted to take in her sister's odd wardrobe, and then met Kristoff's, and her face hardened.

"_Anna of Arendelle, _you _cannot _be running off at night! I had _no idea _where you were! Do you have any idea how terrifying that was?"

"Elsa, I'm sorry, but it's fine, I was with Kristoff, it's not like I was in danger or-"

Elsa continued, her tone more exasperated, "And that's supposed to make me feel _better? _Anna, you're a _princess! _You can't be running off at night with some _man _that you're seeing!"

The words stung. Kristoff's face flushed, but he didn't move. Elsa glared at him, face equally red in the light of her lantern. He finally spoke.

"I-sorry. I'll go. I'm really sorry."

As he turned to walk away from the sisters, he heard their voices, more and more distant, continuing the argument. He tried not to listen, but it was impossible not to in the silent autumn night.

"Elsa, I'm not a _child! _I can take care of myself! I'm sorry I didn't tell you where I was going, but I was coming right back, and if you had been asleep nothing would have happened and no one would have known! Why were you awake, anyway?"

"I had work to do. That's none of your concern."

"Elsa, I keep telling you to let me _help_ with everything! You need to sleep, too!"

"I need to run a kingdom. I need you to keep yourself _safe _so I can do that."

"And what about you? I'm supposed to just let you work yourself into the ground because you happened to be born first? It doesn't make any sense…"

The argument continued along roughly the same path, and Kristoff had never heard the sisters talk to each other this way. Normally, their relationship was cautiously pleasant and loving.

When the sun had risen, there was a change, but not back to normal.

Every time he saw Anna in the next few days, she seemed to be chasing after Elsa, desperate for some sort of involvement or responsibility, while Elsa brushed her off in her cold and regal way.

He didn't see much of the princess for days after the incident; and then, eventually, she started to emerge from the castle to find him more often again.

At first, he was worried that he had done something wrong. Eventually, he realized this was just the way of things. Elsa and Anna's relationship was in a constant cycle that was almost seasonal, from healthy to distant to desperately clinging and everything in between.

He would just have to accept it. And he did. Mostly. Three was a difficult number at times, but when the three of them managed to stay out of crisis, their strange little family worked well together.

After a pep talk from Anna and a few last attempts to get out of taking the day's meetings on his own, Kristoff finally steeled himself to leave the castle.

He had a schedule and instructions, jotted out by Anna and expanded in painstaking detail by Elsa (which made him feel both wounded at her lack of trust and grateful for the guidance).

The first meeting was the most difficult. There wasn't anything particularly important to discuss; it was simply the action of stepping into someone's business as some sort of _representative _of _Arendelle's monarchy. _Of all things to get himself into, and of all people to get into this sort of thing…

Finally, he pushed open the door, and the day's tasks began.

It was mostly mundane. Slightly awkward at worst, pleasantly friendly at best. People asked after Anna, sending well-wishes, favorite sickness remedies passed down through families (some of them were surprisingly similar to troll methods, giving him some common ground), and even a wonderful smelling pot of stew from a particularly kind shop owner.

The best meetings were the ones where Kristoff could make himself useful, offering assistance or advice with the tasks necessary to prepare for winter.

The last person he visited was an elderly woman, and he was able to mend the edge of a drafty window and haul in some extra firewood to make sure she wouldn't run out.

"Is there anything else I can do before I go?"

The woman smiled kindly.

"Go and take care of your queen. Send my best wishes for her good health. Seeing the two of you together always warms my heart. Reminds me of my late husband and me when we were young like you."

The look in her eyes was sad and joyful and teasing at the same time, and he gave an awkward half smile.

"Oh, uh...thank you. That's...nice to hear. If you need anything else, you know where to find us. Stay warm."

He finally left his last visit of the day, checking off his schedule and exhaling a deep breath. Kingdoms were exhausting, but also kind of nice.

By the end of the day, Anna was feeling better and eager to get back out into town. Elsa and Kristoff convinced her to wait until the next day, and the three of them spent a cozy evening inside the castle.

Life settled back into a comfortable new normal. Elsa went back to Northuldra, promising to return for the next game night and to bring Ryder, Honeymaren, and Sven along with her.

Kristoff made a point to go along with Anna when she mingled around town, and had her delegate some of her less involved tasks to him (a feat that he managed by reminding her of her constant frustration with Elsa).

At night, he enjoyed his time in the castle with Anna, leaving each night feeling more and more desperate to stay.

It was odd not having Sven in his familiar spot in the stables. One night, he instinctively looked in to check on Sven before realizing that he wasn't there and laughing at himself. He had left an old blanket in the middle of the stall, which was odd, and he decided to go in and put it away.

It wasn't until he was bent down to grab it that he noticed that the blanket was breathing.

He backed up against the gate, not wanting to startle whatever animal had taken up residence there in Sven's absence, and forgetting that it had swung shut behind him.

The sound woke the animal, which looked up at him with a set of blue eyes that were very human.

As was the mop of dirty blond hair that was matted in spots above the very human face.

It wasn't a wild animal, but a little girl.


	6. Chapter 6: Strangers in a Strange Land

Kristoff froze, taking in the form of the girl who had apparently been sleeping in Sven's empty stall.

She froze as well, and after a fearful look, backed up against the other end of the stall.

"Please don't hurt me. I just wanted to sleep. I didn't mean to bother anyone. I'm sorry."

Kristoff blinked, taking in her words.

"I-what? No, no, I'm not going to hurt you!"

He held up his hands in surrender, but she remained on edge.

"Are you alone here?" he asked, but the girl didn't react. He looked around the stables for any obvious signs of movement, but saw none. The other empty stalls were still and silent.

He didn't know what to say next. Anna would know what to say, how to put her at ease; but he didn't want to risk leaving the scared child to run off. He decided to try speaking.

"I'm...Kristoff. I live here in the stables and help out with the animals."

She still stared blankly. He lowered himself down to the floor to seem less intimidating.

"This is usually where Sven lives. He's a reindeer, and also my best friend. We've known each other for...a long time. Since I was little. Back then, I didn't really have a family, or a place to live," he paused, and saw her narrow her eyes slightly at this statement before he continued.

"Anyway, eventually my family took me in. And then I met my fiancee, and started living and working here, and now I have new friends and family as well." Kristoff realized that he had been absentmindedly fiddling with a strand of hay from the floor of the empty stable.

After a short silence, the girl finally spoke.

"What's a fiancee?"

Kristoff laughed.

"It means I'm going to marry her."

Kristoff thought he saw the girl smile slightly at this, but the blanket still covered her mouth. She moved it in order to speak.

"Is she pretty?"

"Beautiful."

Another silence.

"I'm Mari," she finally said, sitting up so that he could now see her face. She was young, no older than ten, and frail, so that her face looked more drawn than those of the children in town. "I live near the farms. It's a few days' walk from here. I came here because I like animals."

Kristoff smiled. "I like animals, too. Do you live with anyone?"

"My mom."

"Where's your mom now?"

She shrugged. "She's been gone for a while."

"Is that unusual?"

"Not really. But this time I ran out of food, so I went out. I had to keep moving around so no one would catch me. And I always wanted to see the town. And then I saw the castle, and the stables were just so nice, so I came here."

Her voice was surprisingly animated for telling such a morbid tale. He realized as she spoke that she was shivering.

"Are you cold? Here, let me bring you inside," he moved to stand, but her eyes widened again.

"Inside where?"

"The castle."

"But what if they catch us sneaking in?"

Kristoff laughed.

"I'm allowed in the castle. I was just there. With my...future wife."

"Oh. Does she work there?"

"...Yes. Come on, I'll take you."

He opened the door and gestured to her. She rose and wrapped the blanket around herself. She was frail, but lanky. Her clothing was worn and ripped in places, and a toe poked out of her shoes. She began to walk, but seemed unsteady on her feet.

Kristoff removed his jacket and wrapped it around her.

"Do you want me to carry you? Would that be all right?"

She considered the offer.

"Sure. But only because I'm really, really tired. I _can _walk. I walked really far."

He chuckled. "I believe you."

Slowly and gently, he lifted the girl into his arms. She was light. Much lighter than Anna. Probably lighter than she should be for a girl of her height.

He walked in silence, seeing her eyelids droop as they reached a steady rhythm. Suddenly, her eyes shot open.

"What if the _queen _sees us? Is she scary?"

"You really haven't been around much, have you?" Kristoff asked.

She shook her head.

"The queen isn't scary at all. She loves her people, and they love her, and she's friendly and warm and kind to everyone."

"And you know her?"

"I do."

"Wow."

"Yeah. Wow."

Kristoff had no idea how to explain this situation to Anna, or what this situation even was, but he knew that she would likely handle it better.

They didn't pass anyone on their way into the castle. Mari was asleep by the time Kristoff opened the large doors-not even struggling to support the child with one arm-and made his way to the library, where he knew Anna was still finishing up the last of her work. For once, he was glad that she wasn't an early riser.

He knocked lightly on the door before opening it.

"Anna?"

At his voice, she looked up and smiled.

"Miss me already? I-Kristoff, what-_who_-are you carrying?"

He laid the girl down on a couch closest to the fire; she stirred, but he kept his voice low.

"I found her in Sven's stall, trying to sleep. All I know is that her name is Mari, and she comes from the farmland when she ran out of food, and her mother has been gone…"

Both of them turned to the couch, where the girl had sat up to observe their conversation.

Anna sat down on the other end of the couch and spoke gently.

"Hi! I'm Anna. I hear your name is Mari?"

The girl nodded.

"Mari, I want to help you get home. But for now, let's just get you a warm place to sleep. And some food? Does that sound good?"

Again, the girl nodded. Anna turned to Kristoff, who spoke next.

"I'll be right back with some sandwiches. And hot cocoa."

Both Anna and Mari smiled back at him.

When Kristoff returned, Mari lay across the couch, leaving just enough room for Anna to sit at the other end, drafting a letter.

"I'm writing to General Mattias to ask for a search to find her family. He'll get this first thing in the morning."

"Good. I'll set this down on the table."

When the tray hit the table, Mari sat up, eyeing the food. Anna noticed, handing her a plate.

"Here. Kristoff makes good sandwiches. And then you can have some hot cocoa once it cools down. I'm going to go get a bed ready."

Anna got up while Mari ate ravenously. Kristoff remembered his own days of wandering, hungrily accepting whatever food he could find. How his life had changed….

Mari slowed, eventually setting down the plate and nestling back into the more comfortable blanket that Anna had found.

"Was that your girlfriend?"

"Yep."

"She's nice. And pretty."

"I agree."

"It's weird being in a castle."

"I agree with that, too."

"Nice though."

"Yeah. _This _castle is nice. Because of the people in it."

She yawned, so he stopped talking.

When Anna returned, Kristoff picked up the sleepy child and followed Anna to one of the many spare bedrooms near Anna's own chamber. He laid her down in the large bed, covering her with more fancy castle blankets.

"Goodnight, Kristoff and Anna."

She mumbled.

"Goodnight, Mari," they both responded.

After leaving the room and closing the door, they stared at each other.

"That was…"

"Yeah."

"How did she wander all the way here? And she looks like she hasn't eaten enough in days. Maybe years."

"She said she was alone, ran out of food, and wanted to see the town. That's all I know."

They were now in front of Anna's chamber, but she made no move to enter.

"Hopefully we can figure this out in the morning. At least she has food and a place to sleep."

"Right."

Kristoff hesitated.

"Would...would it be all right if I slept in one of these rooms? I just-in case she wakes up, I'm the one who found her, and it might be good if-"

Anna's face lit up. "Of course! That's so thoughtful of you. Here, this will be just fine…"

She led him into a room very close to her own-on the opposite side of the hall, between hers and the one where Mari now slept.

"Thanks. Let me know if you need anything. Just, I don't know, throw something at my head. Like how we first met."

Anna pulled a face, punched him in the arm, and then stood on her tiptoes to kiss him.

"Goodnight. Love you."

"Love you, too."

Anna disappeared behind the door to her chamber.

Kristoff grabbed the door handle to pull the door shut, then wondered if he should leave it open, then settled on half open.

He looked around the dark room, simpler than Anna's, but still rather ornate.

In spite of spending much of his time in the castle, even to prepare for special events like Anna's coronation, Kristoff had actually never slept there. He had always worried about overstepping, about the staff and Elsa and appearances, and about his and Anna's privacy.

Now, his concerns seemed silly in comparison to the idea that there was suddenly a strange child sleeping in Anna's hall. He worried for both of them, to be honest.

As a result, Kristoff didn't sleep much. He didn't bother to move the heavy blankets on the bed, used to colder weather and thinner walls. He sat atop the remarkably comfortable furniture, listening carefully for any signs of movement.

He must have fallen asleep, but he awoke a few times throughout the night, checking that both doors were still closed. Finally, morning light streamed through the window, and Kristoff decided to check on Mari.

He slowly opened the door and peeked his head in, but stepped forward abruptly when he saw the empty bed.

She was gone.

He looked frantically around the room, suddenly stopping to hear slow, even breathing across the room.

Looking over the bed, he saw a breathing heap of blankets on the floor, a blond head barely visible at the top.

Kristoff exhaled, chuckled softly, and left.

"Kristoff!"

He started.

Gerda was approaching from the other end of the long hallway, a note in her hand.

"I've just seen Queen Anna's message. Where is the child?"

"In this room, asleep. I thought she was gone, but she just moved to the floor."

"Good. General Mattias has just arrived to speak with the queen. Will you meet him while I wake her?"

"Of course."

Kristoff was almost startled by his own easy response as he headed toward the entrance. He wouldn't say that he was comfortable taking on Anna's meetings for her, but at least it was only General Mattias, who was easier to speak with than most. He descended the stairs quickly.

"General Mattias. I'm glad you stopped by. You got Anna's note?"

"Yes. It doesn't happen often that a child goes unattended in Arendelle, but when it does, it's heartbreaking. I've just sent a few of my people to speak with the farms within a few days' walk. See if anyone knows her, or her family, or has seen her wandering around."

"Good. Thank you. She'll be glad to hear that."

The general nodded.

"Would you like any breakfast while Anna wakes up?"

"No, thank you, I'm meeting Halima."

"In that case, I can pass along the message if you'd like to go. Or you can stay, of course. It's not my-"

The general smiled. "Thank you, Kristoff. Please let Her Highness know that I will return as soon as I receive any news."

"Right. I'll tell her. Thanks."

The general shot him one last sympathetic look before leaving, laughing softly and shaking his head.

As he opened the door, the general waved.

"Queen Elsa! What a pleasant surprise!"

He opened the door wider for the ice queen, who entered with her usual graceful presence, making small talk and allowing the door to close behind her before regarding Kristoff.

"Ryder, Honeymaren, and I brought Sven back from Northuldra. I'm surprised to find you here...in pajamas."

"It's early…"

"It's not terribly early, actually. Late night?"

"I, uh…"

"What was Mattias doing here?"

Kristoff didn't have time to answer any of his future sister-in-law's rapid fire questions before Anna yelled from the top of the staircase.

"Elsa! I'm glad you're here! It's been a strange day."

She slid unabashedly down the railing to make up for lost time before hugging her sister.

"Okay, so I know you said you didn't want any kids running around the castle until AFTER we were married…"

"Anna…?" Elsa raised an eyebrow and Kristoff buried his head in his hands at Anna's lack of clarity.

"...But last night Kristoff found a girl in the stables."

Elsa's expression changed to one of pure confusion. "I'm sorry, I don't follow…"

"A girl wandered into the stables-all the way from the farmlands-to try to find a place to sleep. We brought her into the castle and are trying to figure out what to do next. She says she lives with her mother, but hasn't seen her in, I'm not sure how long, and ran out of food…" Kristoff took over and saw understanding dawn on Elsa's face.

"Oh! Well. An interesting dilemma, for sure."

"We asked Mattias to start looking for information-"

"-And he just arrived to say that he had sent some of the guard to ask for information," Kristoff finished.

"Good. At least you have a plan. I can consult with the spirits and see if they have any insight-she's likely further south than Northuldra, but maybe not much?"

"Maybe."

"Good. In the meantime, Sven would like to see you. And Ryder and Honeymaren would like to say hello as well."

After Kristoff had dressed, they walked out to the stables, where a water Nokk, four reindeer, and two young adults stood in anticipation. Sven, upon seeing his friend, bounded up to say hello.

"Hey, buddy! I missed you too!"

Sven brought Kristoff to the others, bounding excitedly up to another reindeer with a gesture like an introduction.

Ryder helped to translate.

"Sven is wondering if his new _friend _can stay here for the time being. He missed you, but let's just say that these two weren't eager to part."

Sven shared a loving gaze with the reindeer at his side.

"Well, he wouldn't be the first to change his surroundings for love."

Kristoff turned his gaze to Anna, who was regaling Elsa and Honeymaren with the full details of the previous night, which were hopefully more coherent now that she had woken up fully.

"Sounds like you had a busy morning? We expected to find you over here."

"Yeah, I usually am here, but...I should probably get back to the castle. Come with us, we'll explain on the way. And get you some food. There's always food."

"Now _that _is a perk of castle living…"

Anna took the visitors to the kitchen, but Kristoff chose to go upstairs, sitting in the hallway where he had slept the night before.

The pull he felt to sit outside of the closed door came not only from the past night, but from a past life.

One where he, too, had woken up in unfamiliar circumstances, but often without a familiar face to guide him.


	7. Chapter 7: The Tour

After some time sitting in the silent hallway, appreciating the break to ponder the circumstances (but with no way to improve them until further notice), Kristoff heard familiar footsteps coming up the stairs.

Anna appeared with a plate filled with food, and sat herself next to her future husband.

"Is she awake?" she asked softly.

"Don't think so," Kristoff answered, not wanting to disturb her if the answer were no.

Anna took a bite of food.

"You can go back down with Elsa and the others," Kristoff offered, but Anna waved him off.

"She can show them around the castle just fine. I want to make sure she's ok."

There was a pause, and Kristoff accepted the food that Anna offered.

"Did you sleep all right?" she asked.

He nodded. "Pretty much. You?"

"Always," she answered with a chuckle.

She leaned against Kristoff's shoulder, chewing and waiting.

Finally, the door creaked open, and a head popped hesitantly out of the room.

Kristoff froze, but Anna stood up quickly.

"Good morning! Would you like some food?"

Mari hesitated, then nodded. Kristoff held out a plate for her; she grabbed something sweet and took a large bite.

"Wow. The food here is good," she offered simply. They laughed.

When she finished the food, Anna spoke first. "Do you want to come with me on a tour of the castle? We have some other guests here, and my sister is showing them around."

Mari nodded, and the three of them set off.

On the way down the stairs, they ran into Kai.

"Queen Anna! Your sister is here, and I thought she could sit in on the meeting this afternoon. When you get the chance, find me and we will go over the schedule."

"Of course. Thank you, Kai."

Kai acknowledged Kristoff and Mari with a nod, then continued up the stairs.

Anna and Kristoff continued, but Kristoff turned when he realized that Mari had stayed on the stair.

"Something wrong?" he asked, and Anna turned as well; but Mari, eyes wide, whispered to Kristoff.

"She's the _queen?"_

"Oh! Yes," Kristoff said simply, realizing that he had forgotten that part of the story. At first, it had been purposeful, so as not to intimidate her even more; but now, it seemed harmless.

"Wait-does that make you...a prince or something?"

Kristoff laughed. "No. I'm just me. I grew up in the mountains."

"Then how are you marrying a _queen?_"

"I ask myself that quite a bit, actually," Kristoff chuckled, and Anna rolled her eyes.

"It's a great story. I'll tell you some time!" Anna added enthusiastically, and Mari smiled shyly. Then she turned back to Kristoff, her eyes fierce.

"Why did you _lie _to me then?"

"I didn't lie. I said the queen was nice and not scary. And I said my fiancee worked in the castle. I just didn't mention that her job was...as the queen," he shrugged.

Mari blinked at him, then continued down the stairs. "Still…" she muttered under her breath.

Kristoff and Anna shared a look of uncertainty, then kept going. Mari looked around, taking in the elaborate decor of the castle. Kristoff was surprised, having seen other children visiting the castle, that they didn't have to ask her not to touch the suits of armor or slide down the bannister (Anna had not even mastered that instruction yet).

They met Elsa, Ryder, and Honeymaren coming from the kitchens.

"Oh! Mari, this is my sister Elsa, and our friends Ryder and Honeymaren. This is Mari."

They exchanged greetings.

"I like your dress," Mari said to Elsa. "So are you a princess, since you're Anna's sister?"

"Something like that," Elsa smiled.

"She's more of a snow queen," added Anna.

"A snow queen? What do you mean?"

As an answer, Elsa waved her hands to construct a small giraffe out of snow. She gave it to the awed child.

"WOW! You can make SNOW? That's amazing!" She examined the giraffe, and showed it to Kristoff and Anna, who offered their admiration as well.

"Can other people do that too? 'Cause one time, when I was little, it snowed in the _summer. _And then it just went away and no one ever explained why! Isn't that weird?"

They all laughed.

"That was me," Elsa offered sheepishly. "It was an accident. The snowstorm went pretty far, though, didn't it…?"

"If we hadn't been stuck in the mist, we might have been snowed in as well. I still wish I could have seen that," Ryder added.

"Yeah, well, we can see Elsa's magic now," Honeymaren offered.

They had a fairly enjoyable tour of the castle, with Elsa and Anna alternating between giving historical information and recounting adventures as small children and within the past few years. When they entered the ballroom, Mari asked all about the types of parties that happened there, and twirled around joyously as they described the typical scene.

"...And sometimes, if you ask Elsa _really _nicely, she can turn the ballroom into a snow playground!" Anna had taken Elsa's arm, and Mari turned around and looked hopefully at the elder sister.

"If you insist…" Elsa said with false reluctance, waving at the ceiling until a gentle snow fell.

"Wow!" Mari was the most vocal, but they all enjoyed the scene of gentle snowfall and larger snowbanks forming around the edges.

As if on cue, the door rattled open, and Olaf trotted in.

"Snow! I love it! What's the occasion? Oh! Ryder and Honeymaren are here! Hi, everyone! Did you bring this feral-looking child with you?"

They exchanged uncomfortable looks. Mari, who hadn't heard, turned around and saw the snowman. She did look a bit feral-her hair was wild, her old frock was torn in places, and she was covered in a general layer of grime from her travels. She rushed over, and Kristoff caught her arm as she almost slipped on the snow.

"A snowman! ...AAH!"

When Olaf moved, Mari jumped back.

"Hi! I'm Olaf, and I like warm hugs! What's your name?"

"...Mari…" she said hesitantly, now hiding behind Kristoff's arm.

"Elsa told me that some people find talking snowmen slightly scary at first. I'm trying to learn to come on less strong. How did I do?" he asked Elsa.

"Fine, Olaf," Anna answered while Elsa explained.

"I built Olaf a few years ago, and because of my ice magic, he came to life!"

She crept forward toward the snowman.

"Warm hugs?" Olaf offered.

Mari nodded, and tentatively hugged the snowman.

"Okay. I like him," she said, turning to the others, who smiled in return.

"Ooh, is Sven back?" Olaf asked Kristoff.

"Yep, he just returned from Northuldra."

"Why don't we go and say hello?" Anna offered.

"Who's Sven?" Mari asked.

"My reindeer," Kristoff explained.

"And his best friend!" Olaf continued. "Sven tells great stories and gives Kristoff all kinds of advice and helped me learn how to read. Kristoff never would have been able to date a princess without Sven."

"That's...probably true," Kristoff admitted.

"That's nice," Mari observed, which made Kristoff smile.

They all headed outside, with Olaf and Mari leading the way and the others following closely behind. Anna grabbed Kristoff's hand.

"She really seems to trust you. And I don't blame her. You're a good man to trust."

Kristoff blushed. "I think you and Elsa are far more interesting to be around. And Olaf, of course."

"Even if that's true, having someone to _trust _is more important when you're in a strange place. I'm glad that you found her."

They continued to the stables, where an excited Sven was eagerly reuniting with Olaf and meeting the young girl.

"Olaf! I missed you! And what's your name?" Kristoff provided in Sven's voice.

Realizing that Kristoff was talking for the reindeer, Mari looked around in confusion, then laughed and played along.

They brought Sven and his new reindeer friend back into the castle, where Anna and Elsa left to attend their meeting. The others shared favorite tips about reindeer care and training while Olaf read to Mari from one of his favorite novels.

Kristoff, who was struggling to focus on the conversation anyway, was interrupted by a tug on his sleeve. Mari gestured for him to lean down, and she whispered to him.

"Do you think my mom will be mad that I'm gone? Or worried about me?"

"Oh! Don't worry, we sent some of the royal guard to find her and tell her you're here. If everything is all right, she can come and get you, or we can bring you home."

The child nodded and went back to Olaf.

He didn't want to make any promises. Mari seemed too young to be left alone for extended periods of time, and yet didn't seem to be worried by her mother's extended absence. Kristoff knew that life in the mountains was more relaxed than life in the city, but it was still disconcerting to hear about a child alone in a home without food. He would be surprised if Mari's mother had not come into harm, or some other circumstance that had prevented her from returning home.

When Elsa and Anna's meeting had finished, the group shared an early dinner and then a game of pictionary-chosen after a heated debate about how Elsa's magic and Olaf's ability to rearrange should be handled in charades.

Their game was interrupted by General Mattias, and Anna got up to greet him.

"Do you have news for us, or do you want to join the game?" she joked.

Mattias remained serious. "Could I talk to you outside for a moment?"

Anna met Kristoff's eyes and gestured for him to join her.

Once they were outside, Mattias spoke.

"We found Mari's mother."

"Oh! So, is she coming here, or should we take Mari to her?"

Mattias shifted uncomfortably.

"It took a while, because she had left town, presumably to find work, but she was in a pub and a bit...uh...intoxicated. She asked for Mari to be returned to her home, but the guards were worried about leaving such a young child alone. The mother didn't seem bothered. Said Mari was old enough to care for herself."

"What? She's _eight!_" Anna interjected.

"Exactly. We explained that if she couldn't care for the child, we would have to leave her with someone else who would."

"And?" Anna prompted him to continue.

"She didn't seem too bothered. Said she'd done the best she could for the girl, but she needed to live her own life."

Kristoff was following the conversation, but silently. For some reason, it all seemed to be happening further away, like he was receding back into his mind somehow.

"How could she do that? She really just...didn't care?"

Mattias sighed. "Look. I don't have the experience for myself. But from what I've been told...parenting is tough. Some people just aren't cut out for it. Especially when life has dealt them a particularly difficult hand."

There was silence before Mattias continued.

"Now, we just need to decide where the child will go. Find a family to care for her, at least for the time being."

"Why does she have to go anywhere?" Kristoff interjected suddenly, surprising himself in addition to the other two.

Anna looked at him with a combination of love and surprise, while Mattias looked back and forth between the two and then cleared his throat.

"Maybe I should leave you two to talk. There's no rush to make a decision-but we can talk again in the morning?"

"Yes, that sounds perfect. Thank you, Mattias," Anna answered, and they walked the general to the door.

When the large castle doors had swung shut, Anna turned on her heel, eyes blazing.

"How could someone just _do _that? Just leave a child to wander around like-like-"

"Like me," Kristoff finished weakly.

Anna's eyes softened before she continued, "Which is why you're so willing to help."

"Look, Anna, I spoke rashly and out of turn and I didn't mean to put you on the spot like that, or commit to something...Obviously I'm a guest in the castle, and I have no right to just invite someone to stay, especially with everything else happening right now, and I want you to know that-"

Anna interrupted him with a kiss, as she generally did when he started to babble.

"Kristoff. You're not a guest. You live here. And maybe it's kind of crazy, but...something feels right about having her here. We both know what it's like to lose parents, and to be alone, and...it's not like we don't have space, I mean, there are plenty of rooms…and when have we really gone very long without doing something crazy?"

"Like Mattias said, we don't need to make a rash decision. Maybe we just...think about having her stay? And who knows, maybe her mom will change her mind and come back."

"Right. We'll have to make sure she can contact us if that's the case," Anna added.

"Okay. So for now, we just...go back to the game?"

"Yes. Back to the game. And there is _no way _you're winning this one!"

She took off toward the others, and Kristoff followed behind, calling out, "That's what you said about charades!" And earning himself an angry look back from his betrothed. He rolled his eyes and kept walking.


	8. Chapter 8: Crazy

**Chapter 8: Crazy**

It wasn't too long before Mari was yawning, and they decided that she should bathe before going to sleep. Anna had excitedly gone to the attic to find her and Elsa's nightdresses from when they were kids, and Mari chose one of Elsa's to wear to bed.

The three from Norhuldra had decided to stay the night-Elsa could return in a matter of minutes thanks to the Nokk, but Ryder and Honeymaren would need to take their reindeer back, meaning that it made more sense for all of them to leave in the morning.

After some deliberation, Kristoff decided to spend the night in the castle's spare room again as well.

When he woke up-earlier than the previous day-Elsa was the only other person awake. She emerged from her room seconds after he did, making Kristoff wonder if she had been listening for him. The thought filled him with a mix of discomfort and annoyance.

"Kristoff?" she asked softly, "I was wondering if I could have a word with you."

"Sure. What about?"

Elsa looked around the hallway, seeming slightly uncomfortable herself.

"Maybe we should go downstairs. Avoid waking the others."

"Right."

The two of them walked silently down the stairs; Kristoff followed Elsa into the sitting room, where she paced instead of taking a seat. Kristoff also remained standing, but in place, following his future sister's steps. She seemed to be deep in thought; after a moment that seemed like an eternity, she stopped pacing and finally spoke.

"Anna mentioned that Mari might stay with you at the castle."

It didn't surprise Kristoff; Anna told her sister everything. Or _almost _everything. He hoped he still had that _almost _to fall back on.

"Ah...yes. Just if there's no other place for her to go. There haven't been any final decisions or anything yet."

Elsa nodded,

There was another uncomfortable silence before she responded.

"My sister-you know her, of course, about as well as I do-but she has a tendency to leap into things."

Kristoff felt his jaw clenching unintentionally.

"Of course, her big heart is one of our favorite things about her. I just worry, with everything going on. She just became queen-"

"Right."

"And I'm not always around-"

"You're still around pretty often."

"And you two are getting married-"

"Really? I'd forgotten about tha-"

Elsa gave him a look that was a combination of hurt and surprise at his tone, before she deflated.

"Look. You two are adults who make your own decisions. I just know how fast everything has been changing, and I don't want you taking on more than you can handle because you feel obligated. That's all I'm saying. No offense meant."

Kristoff also deflated at her apologetic tone. "I'm sorry I was sarcastic."

"I'm sorry I was patronizing. I just know that you have the ability to keep Anna grounded without stifling her."

"The thing is-it was actually my idea. And I don't want Anna to feel obligated to take on anything else, I really don't. If you _could _talk to her again, try to see what she really feels, if I'm forcing her into this or-what?"

Elsa had broken out into a smile, and shook her head slowly.

"You two are perfect for each other. She was saying the exact same thing about suddenly changing your circumstances for her new role."

Kristoff chuckled. Elsa continued.

"I have to say, she seemed pretty determined about this one. But like you said, there are still other variables. Obviously, it would be better if they can find some relative or friend or _someone _to care for her."

"Right. I'm not in the habit of stealing children. It's just, if she's all alone out there…" _Like I was, _he added internally.

"...You and Anna would be the perfect people to help," Elsa finished for him.

They stood for a second in silence.

"So you _don't _think we're crazy?" Kristoff joked.

Elsa considered, tilting her head in a way that was reminiscent of Bruni.

"I think we're all _far _past crazy by now. But in a good way. Just make sure you don't call Anna crazy again...that didn't go so well last time…"

"You were awake?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Elsa turned from the door, smiling slyly as she walked into the entrance hall.

Kristoff sighed and followed. These sisters were going to be the death of him.

The others slowly woke up-Anna last, of course, but Mari almost had her beat-and said goodbye before Ryder, Honeymaren, and Elsa set off. Mari hugged each of them, having charmed them all, and promised to see them again soon.

Once they had left, she turned to Kristoff, eyes suddenly intense.

"I have a question. And _tell the truth._"

He exchanged a glance with Anna, also confused and slightly intimidated, before responding.

"Um. I'll do my best. What's your question?"

"Is my mom coming to get me?"

They once again exchanged nervous glances. Kristoff bent a knee until he was (almost) at her eye level.

"Honestly? I don't know. She...wasn't able to come when the guards found her. But that doesn't mean she won't. We will have people in touch, I promise."

The girl searched his face a moment longer, making him feel like a prisoner of war under interrogation, before suddenly moving on.

"Ok," she said simply.

"Ok?" he asked.

She nodded. The moment had suddenly passed, and she was on to other topics.

Anna had some work to complete, so she suggested that Kristoff give Mari a tour of Arendelle.

It took a while for them to convince Mari to let them tame her unruly hair, and she only agreed in exchange for permission to do Anna's hair. Anna, whose morning schedule was free from important meetings, happily consented to lopsided braids.

Anna waved them off from the castle entrance after straightening Kristoff's collar and Mari's hair, and Anna's and Mark's excitement gave him a sense of purpose for the day.

It wasn't until they got to the marketplace-where Mari flitted around, taking in the beauty and chaos of it all, and Kristoff struggled to keep up with her-that he noticed the odd looks people were giving to their queen's fiance and a previously unknown child.

Even if they had seen Mari before she had entered the castle, she looked very different after a bath, a comb, and a frock Anna had worn as a young princess.

Kristoff figured that his panic in trying not to lose his energetic charge was equally worthy of attention. He had accompanied Anna in visits with the children of Arendelle before, but those children were usually on their best behavior in front of the queen, following a teacher or another adult (or sometimes Olaf) as a group.

Mari seemed to have no awareness of the fact that Kristoff was trying to keep her in his line of sight. It was extremely frustrating, until he reminded himself that this child had been on her own for so long that having a guardian was unusual.

He finally calmed down when Mari found a group of children around her age and joined them in a game while their parents shopped. As Kristoff stood awkwardly to the side, trying not to intimidate them but also trying not to lose Mari, a woman approached him and regarded him warily.

"Who is that child? And what are you doing with her?"

Somehow, Kristoff hadn't considered how he would explain this situation to anyone who asked. He figured that the only thing he could do was tell the truth.

"We found her in the stables. She had been wandering around…she has a mother, but...we're not sure if she'll be able to care for her. She's staying in the castle while we come up with a plan."

The woman's face changed at the explanation.

"Oh, how sad. It's lovely that the queen has taken her in, though."

Kristoff nodded. The woman then laughed.

"Someone was wondering if she was your child. After all, we don't know much about your past…"

Kristoff had no idea how to respond to this, so he simply flushed and shook his head.

"Uh...I guess I see how they could think that...but I definitely don't have any children."

It was an awkward conversation to have with a near stranger, but he didn't want to read a newspaper article spreading rumors about secret offspring.

It was true that life in the mountains was sometimes different. Some of the ice harvesters had alluded to children that they had left behind, or children who may or may not be theirs.

Kristoff had always kept to himself. His mother-adoptive mother-had raised him to be compassionate toward others. He would never leave a child without a father, as his father had done.

He didn't have much time to dwell on the thought before Mari suddenly took off toward something that had caught her eye. The other children followed, and suddenly they all had their faces pressed against the bakery window, where the baker was arranging an assortment of freshly made pastries.

The children immediately began begging their parents for sweets, and many of them agreed; Kristoff, remembering what Anna would have done, bought enough for the whole group.

"We should get something for Queen Anna!" Mari said with excitement.

Kristoff chuckled. "If you want something for her, we should go look at the chocolate shop?"

Mari's eyes widened. "There's a whole shop? Just for chocolate?"

"Yes. And they need one, with how much goes to the castle alone…"

The two of them stayed together-mostly-for the rest of the afternoon. They went from shop to shop, buying chocolate for Anna and checking in with the shopkeepers, Kristoff occasionally losing Mari and frantically chasing after her. Gossip traveled fast around the town, so Kristoff only had to offer a few more explanations of Mari's situation before most had heard and the questions were replaced by curious but knowing looks.

They met up with Olaf and Sven, who drew even more attention from the village children. Most of them still laughed whenever Kristoff spoke for Sven; it had taken him a while to get over his insecurity about people's reactions to his quirk, but the children's laughter was worth it.

Mari was finally somewhat tired by the time they headed for the castle, so she and Olaf rode back on top of Sven while Kristoff walked beside them, wary of either one becoming too animated and falling off. When they reached the castle, Olaf was regaling Mari with a tale about how Elsa had created him, and the convoluted history around the event. Mari watched attentively, reacting at all of the important parts, until they entered the castle and Anna interrupted.

"Fun day?" she asked, and Mari jumped off of Sven's back, excited to give Anna the chocolates and recount all of the wonderful things she had seen in town. Anna, of course, was familiar with all of it, but Kristoff could see her eyes light up at the girl's appreciation of the kingdom she herself loved so much. She asked Mari about specific sites and people, most of which she had come across throughout the day.

"...And then Olaf was telling me about your life story! It was really interesting. Where did that Hans guy go, and how did you end up with Kristoff?"

"Oh! That's one of the best parts! Don't ruin the big reveal, Anna. Sven, I need your help. On we go!" Olaf interrupted.

Anna rolled her eyes and turned to Kristoff.

"Everything go all right?"

"Yes?" Kristoff offered hesitantly. "She has a lot of energy. I kept having to chase her around, and sometimes she would hide in different shops...and people kept asking questions. I wasn't sure what to say, so I just told the truth. Is that all right? Or should I have said something else, so that she wouldn't get so much attention?"

He realized that he was babbling, and Anna put a hand on his shoulder.

"I think you're fine. Honestly, I don't think there is a right answer in this case. But it seems like she had fun...and like she's really getting used to you."

The last part was in response to Mari waving Kristoff over, insisting that he needed to hear about what that evil Hans guy did to Anna. He laughed, smiled at his fiancee, and feigned surprise when Olaf reenacted the scene for him. It was usually difficult to avoid feeling some sort of anger whenever someone mentioned Hans's name, but now, it all seemed so far in the past, as if it had happened to some other group of individuals.

"I wanted to run something by you," Anna offered when Olaf had finally finished his theatrics, "You know how you were going to ask Gerda to help you with fitting into this crazy life of royalty and everything?"

"Yes…" Kristoff continued hesitantly. It seemed like forever ago, but he still thought it would be a good idea.

"Maybe Mari could learn, too. And you could help teach her as well, with reading and everything. She probably hasn't had much schooling, and I wouldn't want to embarrass her by sending her with the other kids before she's had a few basic lessons."

Kristoff considered it. "I like that idea. It might be more fun to have someone else around who knows almost as little as I do."

Anna laughed. "You know enough. Now go ask if the food is ready! You can start learning tomorrow. It's been a long day, we're all hungry, and I don't want to set a bad example by eating this chocolate before I eat any vegetables."


	9. Chapter 9: Live and Learn

It was early the next morning when General Mattias came to check in with Kristoff and Anna. When the castle staff knocked on each of their doors to alert them of his presence, even Kristoff was groggy, having spent much of the previous night trying to convince an excitable child to calm and sleep while Anna had finished the day's work.

It had already been late when Mari had finally settled, but Kristoff and Anna had stayed awake, both to discuss the impending conversation and to catch up on the alone time that had suddenly become even more scarce for the two of them.

Kristoff wasn't accustomed to being needed every second of every day. It wasn't as if he had been lazy before-he had responsibilities in the stables, in the castle, and in the larger community, especially when it came to ice deliveries-but his responsibilities were much more sporadic than the constant task of keeping a child out of trouble (not to mention safe, happy, and healthy on top of merely "alive and present").

Anna's responsibilities had already increased upon her coronation, chipping away at the time the two of them spent together; though with Elsa gone, he could more reliably count on Anna's presence when she had a spare moment.

The need to inform Mari of her mother's prolonged absence weighed heavily on Kristoff's mind. Though he wasn't exactly an open book, Kristoff had always felt the need for honesty with people in important matters that involved their own wellbeing. He still had trouble forgiving Grand Pabbie, and even Anna's parents, though they had never met, for hiding from her the truth of her past.

He could understand Elsa's privacy about her powers. He himself had long hid the secret of his upbringing by trolls. But to erase years of memories, with no intention to return them...that was difficult to understand or justify.

Anna, too, hated secrets. She had been hesitant at first to reveal too much to Mari, for fear of ruining her childhood innocence; but remembering her own past and the lasting insecurities it caused, she quickly agreed that too much information was probably better than none.

Where Anna and Elsa justifiably teased Kristoff for his lack of etiquette and knowledge about the finer things in life, they were the clueless ones when it came to the world beyond the edges of the largely friendly and scrupulous kingdom. Kristoff had tried to point this out gently, with his normal use of humor to stave off the uncomfortable; but the sisters had been initially offended by the insinuation that he "didn't suppose they encountered issues like this at the castle."

"You're not seriously implying that we've never faced hardship!" Anna had accused, hands on her hips.

"Or that I'm not aware of the kingdom's issues? I know Arendelle isn't perfect," Elsa had ceded with her usual cold precision.

"That's not what I'm saying at all!" Kristoff had quickly elaborated, holding up his hands, deflating as the two suddenly made him feel smaller. "It's just…" he shifted uncomfortably, unsure how to continue. He sighed. "There's a difference between working to solve the problem of children going hungry, and...experiencing that problem."

It was the women's turn to deflate as heat rose in Kristoff's cheeks. After a short, charged silence, they all moved on; but he did notice gradual changes in the way that they related to problems in the kingdom, with a touch more gentleness and the same compassion that they showed to those closest to them.

When Kristoff finally rose to meet the day, Anna wasn't far behind him, yawning dramatically before settling into her more regal way of carrying herself.

They greeted Mattias and informed him of their plan. They would look after Mari in the castle, but continue to monitor her mother's progress to see if she might be able to care for the child in the future. They would write up a list of conditions that she would need to meet in order for the child to be returned.

"For one, she'll need a job that's not-" he cast a glance toward Anna, then seemed to recalculate, "That's, well, legal. And stable."

Anna seemed to be considering his meaning, but didn't press any further.

"All right. Well. Best of luck to you both. This seems to be out of my hands in terms of enforcing the law-but you know you can always come to me for anything you might need."

They thanked the man for his hard work and kindness, and set out to make a plan.

They would allow Mari to sleep, but once she woke up, Gerda would begin to assess her prior knowledge and come up with a plan for lessons. Kristoff, too, would begin learning, starting with the history of Arendelle. He knew the basics, of course-the past few generations had had a direct impact on his life in recent years-but part of Anna's lessons had been a long-winded genealogy of royal families. The families in Arendelle who had lived there for generations would not be impressed with having more knowledge than someone so close to their queen.

The three of them-Kristoff, Mari, and Gerda-walked into the library, where Gerda produced a large volume containing meticulously-kept historical records dating back many generations, as well as a smaller volume, a slate, and chalk for Mari.

Kristoff was trying to focus on the elaborate family tree, failing to absorb any information other than the disconcerting differences in birth years between the older kings and queens, when he heard a small commotion on the other side of the room.

"But I _can _read! I _can!"_

"Child, there's no shame in not knowing! It's lying that shows poor moral character."

The child buried her head in her hands, clearly frustrated.

Kristoff approached the small table.

"Something wrong?" he asked gently.

Before Gerda could respond, Mari raised her head.

"She says I can't read! But I can! It's just that the words are _wrong_!"

He gave a puzzled look as Mari's eyes blazed and Gerda sighed in exasperation.

Suddenly, he had a thought.

"Mari, could you write your name for me?"

She looked skeptical, but picked up the slate and chalk and began to write. Gerda's face showed confusion, then understanding.

"It's one of the more rural dialects. Used in the mountains, too," Kristoff explained.

He began to search the library for the volumes in the older dialect, which were mainly folktales and historical records, as well as information on the basics of traditional Norwegian.

Kristoff tried to periodically return to the large, old, very dry historical volume, but it was much more interesting to assist his companions in their task. By the end of the day, he hadn't made much progress, except to assemble a sparse timeline of a few of the more important events in the kingdom's history. Mari had made some progress translating the alphabet. Gerda had made progress returning to the mindset of instructing very distractible pupils, musing that at least Anna had given her some practice.

In spite of their small successes, Kristoff's stomach turned as Mari recounted the day's events to Anna over dinner.

They had planned the conversation for right after. In all of their time generating ideas, Anna and Kristoff could think of no way to soften the blow; she simply needed to know the truth.

Kristoff and Anna exchanged glances as they went into the drawing room, asking Mari to sit down and taking seats across from her.

"Did I do something wrong?" She asked hesitantly.

"No, not at all!" Anna assured her quickly. "It's just…" She looked toward Kristoff for help. He sighed.

"Mari, after a lot of conversations, we think...it seems like it would be best...if we give your mother more time to prepare to take care of you."

"How much time?"

"We...don't know for sure. But until then, you can stay here. You can learn from Gerda for a while, and then maybe join the other kids at the school. There are a lot of fun things that happen in Arendelle, and we would love for you to be a part of it, if that's something you would want," Anna finished quickly and breathlessly, pausing for a response.

"I guess that would be fine for now," Mari concedes, but Kristoff can sense her lingering uncertainty.

"Mari…" he starts, faltering, then decides to just say what he's thinking. "You didn't do anything wrong. This isn't your fault. I just want you to know that. Sometimes adults don't make the best decisions, and sometimes kids are the ones who go through difficult times because of that."

He sees Anna glance at him with a combination of love and sadness, and works to keep his composure, made uncomfortable by the moment.

Mari stares at him with wide eyes. He deliberates, then continues.

"When I was a kid, I was left with a group of ice harvesters. They looked out for me, they were good guys, but I didn't really have a family. It was just me and Sven for a while. But then...a family found me and took me in," he explained. "They're actually...trolls. They live in the mountains. So my childhood wasn't exactly normal, but I'm glad to have them in my life."

Mari considered this information.

"Do you think the trolls would take me in, too?"

Kristoff laughed. "I'll definitely take you to meet them some time."

"Okay. I guess I can stay here then."

She stood, and with the air of someone much older, said, "I should get some sleep. Goodnight!"

"Goodnight," Kristoff and Anna said, unsure whether they should follow. They settled on giving her space, then watching up the staircase to make sure she had made it to the room where she had been staying.

"Well that was…" Anna started, but there were really no words, so they settled back into the drawing room to finish their work for the night.

Anna had to shake Kristoff awake when she left for bed-he had fallen asleep reading about some 18th-century king and his diplomatic relations.

They settled themselves into a routine, and before long, Mari had integrated herself into their odd little family. Her lessons progressed, with occasional interruptions from Olaf, who was sometimes helpful and sometimes more distracting. Kristoff began to correctly answer the questions Gerda rattled off about names and dates and family relationships, realizing that it wasn't entirely dissimilar to the record keeping he had always done for his ice business.

Even though Mari quickly warmed to Elsa, Kristoff could tell that it took time for Elsa to truly be comfortable and herself around the girl. He wasn't terribly surprised-it wasn't that Elsa wasn't genuine, but she certainly took time to open up. He supposed that made sense.

They made no effort to inform the kingdom about Mari in any official capacity, but the spread of information via hushed conversations in the castle, the marketplace, and all throughout the kingdom meant that everyone was pretty well informed. They still weren't quite sure how to regard the new addition to the cast of faces around the castle, but they did their best to be welcoming, and her easy manners charmed everyone she met.

Kristoff also took Mari with him on various trips around the kingdom. He became more comfortable talking with Arendelle's citizens without Anna, even when Mari found it amusing to share compromising details, like the way Kristoff sometimes received more chiding for his table manners from the staff than she did.

Anna commissioned the tailor to make a few dresses better suited to Mari's slim frame, though she began to look healthier as she ate ravenously from the food offered by the skilled kitchen staff.

She still hated mornings about as much as Anna did, which meant that convincing her to sleep and leave him and Anna time to talk at night was always a challenge.

It was especially so on the night when, at exactly the wrong time-the time of night when Anna had cast her crown to the table and her shoes across the floor and, finishing her reading and stretching, leaned toward him with that specific look before they pulled each other close and lost track of time for a while-they were suddenly pulled apart by a loud "Ew, _gross_!" from the doorway.

Kristoff felt his face becoming more flushed than he had thought possible as he froze on the spot, but Anna took it in stride, straightening her hair as she got up and walked over to the small intruder.

"There's nothing _gross _about a True Love's Kiss," she said dreamily, twirling dramatically and taking Mari's hand to twirl her as well while the girl giggled; "True love can break curses and save lives!"

"That's not what saved you, though," Mari argued, knowing the story well.

"That's true! Not all love is romantic love. True love just means putting someone else's needs before your own. But Kristoff was coming to save me with a True Love's Kiss if nothing else worked," she offered, winking at her fiance, who had calmed somewhat.

"Would that have worked, do you think?" Mari asked.

"Only Ahtohallan knows," Anna said dreamily, stifling a yawn.

"Ahta-what?"

"Ahtohallan! That's right, we've never mentioned it, did we?" She looked toward Kristoff, who shook his head and reached for his lute.

"_Where the North wind meets the sea…" _Anna began, walking upstairs as Kristoff followed behind and provided an accompaniment on his reliable instrument.

Anna tucked the child back into bed, stroking a finger across her nose as they softened the music and eventually went silent. When they were sure she was asleep, they signaled to each other and quietly left, closing the door behind them.

"Works like a charm," Anna said smugly.

"I think your mother must have had some sort of magic," Kristoff agreed.

They each leaned against a door, until finally they said goodnight, broke their lovestruck gaze, and proceeded into separate rooms.

Kristoff repeatedly counted off the months until July before he finally fell asleep.

The next time Elsa came to visit, the first news Mari chose to share was that she had caught Kristoff and Anna "_kissing, _can you believe it?"

"Can I believe it? You have no idea how many times I've had to do _this!_"

She sent a flurry of snow at each of their cheeks (Kristoff was somewhat grateful, thanks to the heat that had risen in his) and then at Mari as she giggled with delight.


	10. Chapter 10: Love Experts

"Kristoff! What's the hurry?"

Kristoff froze when he heard the familiar voice, usually so welcome, but in this case magnifying his sense of guilt and discomfort.

"Anna! Hi. How's your day going? I thought you were in a meeting."

"I was. It ended. Now do you want to tell me why you look so frantic and were practically running down the halls? That's usually something I would do! You're supposed to be the calm one."

Kristoff deflated. "Well...I'm looking for Mari."

"Oh! Are you playing hide and seek? I thought you were both supposed to be in lessons."

"Well...we were. And then Mari got distracted, and said she was going to hide and I would have to find her, and then...I couldn't find her."

"Oooh, she must be skilled. This castle is GREAT for hide and seek. I wish I had had more people to play with when I was a kid! I used to drive Gerda crazy by hiding and then jumping out at her. So how long have you been looking?"

"Ah...I'd say...about an hour?"

Anna's face changed.

"I see. All right, now I understand the frantic expression. Is anyone else helping you?"

Kristoff was certainly more comfortable in the castle than he ever thought he could be, especially since he had started sleeping there almost every night. Still, the idea of telling the staff, even those he knew fairly well, that he had lost a child somewhere in the palace, grand and old and huge and containing so many precious and breakable things...it was a bit daunting.

"I'll take that as a 'no'. All right, you keep looking and I'll get a search party together!"

She tried to seem upbeat, but Kristoff was suspicious that she might have the same worry that he did.

Kristoff remembered his days wandering the forest at night, struggling to stay with the ice harvesters and eventually giving up. He remembered thinking that he could take care of himself, even at such a young age. He remembered Mari's questions about where her mom might be, when she might see her again...and the way that she had simply wandered into the stables one night and happened to find them.

What if she had simply decided it was time to move on?

Ever since they had told her about her new living situation, Mari had been slightly more volatile in her behavior. She sometimes had trouble sleeping, which meant late nights for Kristoff and Anna as they continuously escorted her back to bed. She would sometimes eat the food that the castle staff prepared, and sometimes insist that she wasn't hungry, only to be caught raiding the kitchens later at night. Lessons were a drudgery for both of them. Kristoff and Gerda struggled to keep Mari focused, and Gerda struggled to keep Kristoff focused when he consistently intervened to try to ease disputes about distraction and disobedience. Frankly, Kristoff couldn't blame her if she felt a bit stifled by the castle, since he tended to feel the same way at times. At least he had Anna to make the whole experience worthwhile.

Soon, the whole castle was engaged in the search, calling out the girl's name and remembering favorite hiding spots of Anna and Elsa as children.

It was when Kristoff passed by the library that he finally heard Mari's voice.

"Kristoff! Where have you been? Shouldn't you be studying?"

Mari was standing calmly in the middle of the library, acting as if she had never left.

Kristoff instinctively walked up and hugged her.

"Where have _you _been? The whole castle was looking for you! Didn't you hear everyone calling for you?"

Mari shrugged. "I must have fallen asleep waiting for you to find me. It wasn't even that good of a hiding spot! Now come on, YOU need to study!"

They continued their daily lessons, a disgruntled Gerda returning to help after the castle staff was informed of the girl's return.

At first, Kristoff thought to mirror the girl's nonchalant attitude toward her disappearance, but he finally decided to speak.

"Mari?"

"Hm?"

"I was really worried today that we wouldn't find you. Can you try not to run off like that again?"

Her eyes met his, wide and greyish and searching, trying to decide if she was in trouble.

"All right. I'll try," she finally acquiesced, "But you can give me some time alone sometimes, you know. I'm not a _baby."_

Kristoff laughed. He thought to mention that she had been hiding to avoid her responsibilities, which was not the definition of maturity; but he thought better of it right before letting his sarcasm get the best of him.

It hadn't been long when they took Mari to the Valley of the Living Rock to meet Kristoff's family. She was enthralled by the stories of the trolls and their culture, and Anna mentioned that it had been a while since they had seen their adoptive son. Anna was too busy to join them, but sent them off with a picnic and her best wishes.

Kristoff braced himself-and prepared Mari-for their usual doting, overbearing, chaotic presence.

It was still overwhelming, he was sure, to be approached by a sudden onslaught of rolling-rocks-turned-people, immediately asking after Kristoff and Mari and Anna and the kingdom and whether they had both been eating enough. The young trolls were fascinated by Mari, not having seen many human children, and she was equally thrilled by the smallest trolls' questions and stories.

This gave Kristoff time to fill in Bulda and Cliff, who had taken him in as a child, about Mari's current situation.

"How awful for her! It does bring me back to when we first found you. So tiny, so underfed, and all alone! I couldn't believe it. I was so happy that you let us take care of you. But it wasn't always easy. Don't forget how much time it took you to accept that you were part of the family."

Kristoff gave Bulda a puzzled look. "I don't remember that, actually."

"It was a while ago. But you can imagine how hard it must have been! We weren't exactly the vision of a normal family. I try not to mention that, because of course, you're part of the family now, but back then...it was an adjustment. For you and for all of us."

It was strange hearing his mother, who had always been so positive and upbeat, allude to more difficult times. Finally, he asked the question on his mind.

"When I was a kid, did I ever do things that worried you? Like run off, or hide, or refuse to participate in-what's so funny?"

Bulda and Cliff were sharing a look, obviously laughing as they reminisced.

"Kristoff, did you really think you had ever _stopped? _I still worry about you! But yes, you were quite the mischievous little one. You always considered yourself a 'loner', and it took you quite a while to learn how to be loved and cared for. Sometimes, that's even harder than loving someone else-allowing yourself to believe that you deserve to be loved, to be a part of something, and that it won't just disappear overnight."

Kristoff nodded, taking in his mother's words, wise as she had always been. He thought of Mari, sitting at home alone, wondering if and when someone might return. He thought of himself, tossed among the ice harvesters, everyone's responsibility and no one's. He thought of Bulda, how her warmth and care had been almost too much at first, how he sometimes felt stifled, even out in the woods without those constricting tailored clothes he had to wear to royal events…

"What you're doing is helping her, you know."

Kristoff started, interrupted in his train of thoughts.

"What I'm doing? I can't _do _much of anything. I'm trying to help her learn, help her fit in at the castle and in Arendelle, but I can't change the fact that she just wandered in here and we don't know if she'll be able to go back home, and I just never know how she'll react on any given day...Most of the time, I don't feel like I'm doing anything at all."

It was almost surprising for Kristoff to hear himself voice these thoughts, but Bulda had a way of making him realize things he hadn't known that he knew. His life had changed drastically since Mari's appearance just a few weeks prior, but it had been difficult for him to pinpoint exactly how. Hearing out loud made it seem even more hopeless, but at least it somewhat lightened the pit in his stomach.

Bulda looked at him with genuine understanding.

"That's completely normal. But you can't underestimate the effect of genuine love and attention. Kristoff, if there's one thing I know about you, it's how _genuine _you are. You love deeply, and you aren't afraid to do whatever it takes to help the ones you love. It hurts you to see others hurting. But sometimes you can't take the hurt away. You can just sit with someone until it gets easier to manage, until love heals just a little bit. And when I look at that girl, I can see that she feels safe. That will continue. Eventually, she'll learn from the love that you show everyone you meet-Sven, and Anna, and your family, and her."

Mari waved from where she sat in a circle with some young trolls, who had made her an elaborate headdress out of sticks and moss. "Kristoff! We're going to make YOU a hat! They're teaching me how!"

Kristoff smiled and waved back. He pictured Anna's reaction when they walked in wearing traditional troll garments, and he smiled even wider.

Anna and Mari laughed together as the girl showed off her new headdress. The trolls had made her a matching cape, and she had insisted that they make Anna a flower crown as well. Anna laughed as she let the girl place the headpiece on her now-messy auburn hair, and then straightened up to meet Kristoff's loving gaze.

He held out his arms, expecting her to chuckle at his matching troll-made outfit, when suddenly her eyes went wide with excitement. She waved her arms for a moment, seemingly unable to speak, before finally responding to Kristoff's questioning look.

"SECRET TROLL WEDDING!" She yelled suddenly.

Kristoff stared at her, failing to comprehend, and then glanced at Mari, who was equally confused.

"Wait. What?"

"Secret troll wedding! Kristoff, we need to incorporate your family's traditions at our wedding! But with all of the guests and whole big church thing and the traditional family clothes, I had no idea how it was going to work! But THAT'S IT! We have a SECRET TROLL WEDDING!"

"Uh...I'm not sure if the kingdom would be ok with that. Don't you need to make a show of inviting dignitaries and introducing us to the kingdom as a couple? And I haven't read _too _much of Arendelle law, but somehow I doubt that troll weddings are considered legally binding."

"Right! So we do a troll wedding _first_! As a secret! With just us and our close family and friends! And then, after we're already married, we do the whole stuffy Arendelle ceremony with dresses and suits and food and dancing and all of that!"

Anna was now pacing back and forth in her excitement, adding to the slightly crazed look she already possessed from wearing a crown and a moss headdress together on her disheveled hairdo. She finally stopped and faced Kristoff.

"What do you think?"

She had her hands clasped together, as if there were some reason to be nervous, as if there were any question about his response.

Kristoff closed the gap between them in an instant, picking up his fiancee and twirling her dramatically in the air before setting her down and kissing her softly, ignoring the "Ew!" of the girl stationed nearby.

Anna turned to Mari.

"What do you think? Do you want to see a troll wedding?"

"Yeah! The trolls are great! I think that sounds like fun."

"But it is a _secret," _Kristoff reminded her.

"Of course! I'm great at keeping secrets. Just don't tell Olaf. He'll tell _everyone_."

Anna and Kristoff shared a look, nodding in reluctant agreement.


	11. Chapter 11: Traditions

The days were growing shorter and shorter, and thick snow had started to coat the ground. Pretty soon, it would be time to ring in the Christmas season.

Kristoff and Sven went up to the mountains to spend time chopping evergreen trees, which they hauled back in order to decorate the castle. Anna was spending less time on diplomatic relations and more time planning for the winter celebration and helping Arendelle's citizens to prepare for the cold, activities which suited her desire to be out and interacting with her people.

Some combination of Kristoff, Sven, Sven's new friend from Northuldra (who was shy at first, but grew to love Arendelle) Olaf, and Mari accompanied her on her travels, making plans and aiding in any way they could.

Gerda had started educating both Kristoff and Mari on Arendelle's holiday traditions, while Kristoff informed them of traditional troll celebrations.

Mari was fascinated, but did not seem to have her own traditions to share. She had never been to Arendelle for the ringing of the Yule Bell, so she was excited to experience this tradition for the first time.

"Don't worry if you don't have your own traditions!" Olaf chimed in, having stopped by to visit, "We have a new one here in Arendelle, and it's for everyone!"

"It all started three years ago, when Anna and Elsa were sad that they didn't have traditions of their own. I went out to talk to everyone in Arendelle about their traditions, and then found a bunch of them to bring back to the castle! Unfortunately, that plan went up in flames."

"Really? What happened?" Mari prompted.

"Oh, it _literally _went up in flames! The whole sled caught fire," Olaf clarified.

"_My _whole sled. Which had just been replaced six months prior, after my old sled had _also _caught on fire," Kristoff interjected, with only a little bit of bitterness.

"But even worse, all of the traditions were destroyed! I had _nothing _to bring back for Anna and Elsa! So then, I got really sad, and I hid."

Mari nodded seriously. "I do that too, sometimes."

"Anyway, Sven went back to get help, and soon the whole kingdom was looking for me! Once they found me, they were so happy that they threw a party! And that was the first annual Snowman Hunt."

"Now, while families prepare for their own traditions, kids build snowmen all over Arendelle and the forest. Once it gets dark, we all walk around and find as many snowmen as we can. Then we come back and celebrate," Kristoff explained.

"Oooh, that sounds like fun! Do you want to build a snowman with me?" Mari asked Olaf and Kristoff.

"Of course! Although it's a little unfair to have me on your team, seeing as I'm a snowman myself, and therefore a bit of an expert on snowmen," Olaf completed knowingly.

"Well, I guess I'll have to build it then, and you can just give me advice," Mari offered.

"Perfect!" Olaf concluded.

It was nice to have someone around who could help Kristoff in the task of preparing a likeness of Flemmy the Fungus Troll, whom his family honored around Christmastime. As soon as Gerda allowed them to consider their lessons complete until after the New Year, Kristoff and Mari went back to visit the trolls.

They wove capes of moss, prepared traditional headdresses, and began to gather all of the mushrooms they could find for both decoration and the Flemmy Stew.

Mari was equal parts appalled and excited by the seemingly "gross" traditions of the trolls. Kristoff himself, having been raised in the valley, had not realized how odd his traditions really were to the citizens of Arendelle until Anna had clued him in, suggesting that maybe they give Elsa a pass on licking a fungus-covered troll in future years. Kristoff supposed he could live with that as long as they agreed to try the stew, but he was fairly certain that Elsa had simply frozen her portion and thrown it over her shoulder. It was a shame, as the stew tasted much better than it smelled. Anna agreed with this assessment, though she characterized the taste as "Still not necessarily _good_."

The visit to the Valley of the Living Rock was also an opportunity for Kristoff to share Anna's "secret troll wedding" idea, and for Bulda to tackle him to the ground as soon as he could explain the general premise.

"I didn't want to pressure you, as I know you and Anna already have enough pressure as it is, but the thought of not being able to prepare my own son's wedding was such a shame! And I imagine that we wouldn't want to alarm the royal guests with our presence at an official wedding ceremony."

Kristoff laughed. "I'm really glad she thought of this. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"You know we've prepared plenty of wedding ceremonies before! Don't worry, we've got it covered."

Kristoff was able to talk to Pabbie for the first time in a while as well.

"What do you think of Mari?" He asked hesitantly.

"The girl has a great capacity for love in her heart," Pabbie answered in his wizened voice, "But her future is still uncertain. Mind that you tread carefully."

"What does that mean?" Kristoff asked, but Pabbie, never one to offer specifics, had already left.

Elsa arrived a couple of days before the celebration, and Kristoff and Mari entered the castle after an afternoon spent sledding to find Elsa and Anna walking down the stairs, conversing seriously.

"Did you alert the bakery to send help for the kitchens?"

"Yes."

"Assign volunteers to lead the way for the Snowman Hunt?"

"Yes."

"Anna, you've got everything prepared! See, you have nothing to worry about!"

"I hope she'll believe you more than she believes me," Kristoff winked at Anna as she noticed his presence.

"Kristoff! I assume you'll be joining us in ringing the bell this year?" Elsa asked.

Kristoff stared back. "Should I?"

"Of course! You're family. I mean, you have been in the past, but now that we're _betrothed, _it's a bit more official," Anna beamed at him.

"Is Sven going to make him dress up all fancy again?" Olaf asked, joining the conversation from where he had wandered out of a nearby room.

"Kristoff can dress up _fancy?" _Mari asked, making no effort to disguise her shock.

"Only if he lets me do his hair," Anna specified. "I hate when they make you slick it back like that. So unnatural."

Elsa laughed. "I'm going to go add some finishing touches to the decorations."

"I'll come with you!" Anna insisted, which led to Mari and Olaf following as well, and Kristoff figured he might as well tag along (he had to admit that Elsa's ice decorations were pretty neat).

They roamed through the castle, with Elsa adding tasteful ice decor to the already-festive halls, and occasionally adding huge, tacky, off-theme additions (like a giant ice bunny that was somehow both cute and terrifying) so that Mari and Olaf would react and express their disagreement until Elsa disappeared the offending sculptures.

She did decide to add less massive sculptures depicting some of the year's more interesting events, such as the mist lifting from Northuldra, Anna's coronation, and even a small statue of Anna and Kristoff to commemorate their engagement.

"We still have to arrange a ball to _officially_ announce your engagement, but I figured it would be best to wait until after the holidays-and maybe for some more temperate weather for traveling guests," Elsa explained.

"Is Anna all right with you making those decisions?" Kristoff knew that, while Anna loved her sister's input and presence in Arendelle, she was still somewhat insecure about gaining Elsa's trust.

"Yes, it's customary for someone other than the bride to organize the event. But I will make sure that both of you are made aware of the details, and that you have adequate time to prepare, both logistically and mentally," she smiled knowingly back at Kristoff.

He knew what she meant. At previous large balls and parties, he had been more of a bystander. He might receive looks from visitors curious about his seeming closeness with the princess (now queen), but he had managed to resist the direct spotlight so far. He knew that, once their wedding festivities began, this comfortable anonymity would officially end.

Once lessons were back in session, he would need to ask about all of the different forks again.

Another worry in the back of Kristoff's mind was the fact that holidays are rarely easy for those without family nearby. He thought back to Anna and Elsa's tumultuous first Christmas, and how he wasn't quite sure whether to intervene or simply go about his own traditions. Since then, it had become much easier for him. Especially now, with Anna so close to _officially _being family, he looked forward to the season in a way he hadn't before.

Still, he wondered how Mari would react. He thought about his first holidays spent with the trolls. There was happiness and laughter, but also confusion and the sense that he was _missing _something. Maybe it was more his personality than anything-or the fact that he had been taller than everyone else in his family by a handful of feet-but he wondered how it would feel for their new companion.

Their family had never been very uniform, anyway, seeing as it consisted of a magical spirit bridge, an enthusiastic, feisty queen, an orphaned ice harvester, a reindeer with more personality than Kristoff had ever possessed, and a sentient snowman.

Hopefully that would be comforting. Somehow.

Kristoff wasn't necessarily _looking forward_ to the suit that Anna had commissioned for him from a local tailor, but he was touched by the fact that it matched hers, and that she intended for him to be in the photograph of the moment when they pulled the cord on the Yule Bell. He also shared in Mari's excitement for her Christmas dress, made by the same tailor, but as vibrant and different as her personality. Olaf requested bowties for himself and Sven to match.

"Not a _full _outfit, though. Far too restricting."

When the day finally arrived, Kristoff consented to some assistance in making sure his appearance was up to par ("though Her Majesty has requested that we forego hair pomade this time", Kai assured him), and then met Anna, Mari, and Elsa in the dining room for a quick meal before the toll of the bell.

Staff members were rushing in and out, assuring the sisters that various preparations had been accomplished. There was a nervous energy throughout the entire castle that Kristoff had usually missed, instead waiting to arrive at events with the non-family guests (plus Olaf and Sven).

Finally, Kristoff left to bring Sven and his wagon to retrieve the Yule Bell. He watched the operation of raising the bell to the Castle's tower and dropping the rope before Anna ushered him up to where she, Elsa, Olaf, and Mari already stood. They each took hold of the rope, heard the loud ring and the cheers of the many citizens gathered in the square, and then waited and waved off the crowd as they left to make their own preparations.

After that, Kristoff and Sven brought the others throughout Arendelle, enjoying the colors, sounds, and scents of the preparations occurring in every home as they surveyed the snow, with Elsa adding additional snow piles in ideal spots for snowman construction. As dusk fell, families began to leave their homes, bundled for the cold, carrying candles, so that they could begin constructing snowmen. Ryder and Honeymaren had decided to join from Northuldra for the unusual event, and they took turns helping with construction and circling around. Anna was especially adamant about the two of them greeting others together, and Kristoff found himself enjoying their walk more than he expected, offering tips on snowman construction and listening to stories about how various people had spent their holidays.

Once it had grown truly dark, he and Sven carried large lanterns to lead the walk around Arendelle, joining in the _ooohhs _and _ahhhs _about the best snow creations. Finally, they reached the clearing where Elsa had constructed a tree, a table filled with seasonal foods, chairs, and an ice rink. They spent the rest of the evening enjoying the festivities; Mari was practically bouncing off of the trees with excitement, and then proceeded to immediately fall asleep as Sven drove the sled back to the castle.

Anna leaned against Kristoff's shoulder, clearly more relaxed after the frenzy of preparation that had occurred. The next day was Christmas, but they would spend it in the castle with just family, exchanging gifts and enjoying delicious food (including Kristoff's Flemmy Stew).

Kristoff hoped that Anna would enjoy the gift he had made for her. He had spent much of what he had on an engagement ring, so it wasn't much, but he knew she would understand.

Still, once he had carried a sleeping Mari up to her room and stopped to kiss Anna goodnight, he went back into the stables to where he had hidden the gift.

It wasn't nearly as perfect as her, but it would have to do.


	12. Chapter 12: New Steps

Kristoff found himself surprisingly nervous as he revealed Anna's Christmas gift; when she saw it, she gasped.

"Kristoff! It's beautiful!"

He blushed appreciatively.

He had wanted to give it to her privately-he was somewhat self-conscious about the work he had put into it.

It had started with a simple piece of wood from a fallen tree in the forest, which he had found near the Valley. It wasn't difficult to smooth it out, but the rest of the project had required more effort.

His family was happy to help him collect small pieces of gemstones to embed in the wooden slab. The carving wasn't perfect, but he had managed to get the point across. Two sets of hand-carved footprints, one larger than the other, surrounded the words, True Love.

Anna asked after every individual detail-how he had carved each piece, how he had managed to affix the gems, where he had found everything...and he felt even more self-conscious, but part of him swelled with pride at her obvious appreciation. The idea had grown in a gradual way, just like their love throughout their many travels and adventures.

"I'm going to put this in my room! Until we're married, that is. I was thinking that we should choose a different room all together to use once we're married. My room is fine, and so is yours, but it would be nice to have something different that's ours, you know? And I bet this would look perfect hanging right over the bed!"

Once again, Kristoff smiled and blushed slightly. "That sounds perfect, actually." He pulled his fiancee in for a kiss.

"Great! We have plenty of time to go over specifics, but I like to give the staff plenty of notice. Maybe we should look around and see what needs to be done? Although there are plenty of other decisions to make and things for them to do before we get married."

Still, Anna ended up taking his hand and leading him upstairs to one of the castle's hallways, opening various doors and considering the rooms behind them, chattering excitedly the whole time.

"It's weird having all of these rooms when it's just us here, you know? When Elsa was living here, I was thinking that we should probably try to find a room far away from hers, because, I don't know, she likes her privacy, and we should probably have some too…"

"We weren't even engaged when Elsa was living here."

"Right, but it's not like it was a surprise. I was always going to marry you. Anyway, there are some rooms that are strange, with like, separate sleeping rooms for married people? But obviously that's not necessary. Maybe if Elsa had married me off to some random prince. Or if I had married Hans like I planned. I probably wouldn't want to sleep in the same room as someone who was plotting to kill my sister and possibly kill me too and never actually loved me anyway."

Kristoff shook his head. Anna had become progressively more flippant in the way she talked about Hans, and he was glad to see that the wound had all but completely healed.

"Olaf once warned me that I should watch out and make sure you don't have a similar plot. You don't, do you?" She asked, pointing to him with mock seriousness.

"Why does Olaf enjoy insulting me so much? No, Anna, I swear that I will never attempt to kill you for the crown. You might want to watch out for Sven, though."

"Good. I never thought you would, but considering how well you've been studying and how much Arendelle is growing to love you, I thought maybe I should be concerned," she gave him a teasing look. "I am extremely proud of you, you know. And grateful that you would take on this new challenge with me."

"Of course. With what we've already been through, what's ruling a kingdom?"

These conversations, too, had become much more lighthearted. Kristoff would never go down in history as any sort of ruler, but he was starting to think that day-to-day life might not be so bad.

The rest of the Christmas season went by in a more relaxed, but certainly enjoyable, fashion. Kristoff had made a gift for Mari-similar to Anna's, but less intricate, simply bearing her name as a way to make her space feel more like her own.

Anna had chosen a gift for Elsa from both of them: a tailor-made outfit with designs inspired by Northuldra, in a style that Anna said would be practical for her day-to-day tasks.

Elsa had brought gifts both from her and from the Northuldra, acting as a delegate for peacekeeping between the two territories. Anna had already sent an assortment of goods from Arendelle for Northuldra's celebration of the solstice. This reminder transitioned the sisters' conversation into more official territory.

"By the way, Yelena has taken a vote, and the Northuldra are feeling fairly confident about the new trade agreement. They still have a few reservations regarding agriculture."

"Same here in Arendelle. The farmers on the outskirts are much more willing, but the markets in town worry about the new flow of goods both ways. It was a good harvest this year, and they're afraid to upset the balance."

"Did you remind them of the difficulties in Northuldra as a result of the spirits' activities? Arendelle has an excess and Northuldra has a shortage. It should form a nice balance."

"Exactly. And after I commissioned your Christmas gift, the tailors here in town are starting to appreciate some of the Northuldra materials and techniques for keeping warm. I want to make sure that the craftspeople in Northuldra are properly compensated for their materials and knowledge."

"So all that's left is to convince the more, ahem, senior members of the council who are still influenced by the, uh, previous leadership," Kristoff interjected, trying to be diplomatic.

"You mean the ones brainwashed by my grandfather. Yes, I had issues with them as well. But it sounds like Anna is making good progress, and has enough of them on her side to sway the vote."

"I can tell that a lot of them are still wary of me. I don't understand how you handled all of the patronising attitudes without going insane! 'Young lady, I've been on this council longer than you've been alive'...It's so aggravating. But they can't argue with the numbers. This would be good for Arendelle overall."

"Ah, yes. I don't miss those days. At least you don't have to deal with a combination of patronising attitudes and fearful ones. I still think a couple of those people would lock me up in a heartbeat if it weren't considered treason," Elsa stated calmly.

"And I think a few of them are still angry that I didn't marry Hans or some other power-hungry prince for political gain. You know, underhanded comments about 'the lineage of Arendelle's next heir being just as questionable' or some garbage. Apparently they took it personally that Mother was Northuldra."

"Of course they did. Even I heard comments about their marriage, how the board would have 'chosen differently' for Father, and how maybe I would have turned out differently as a result. 'None of Agnarr's ancestors had such...issues.'"

They all rolled their eyes.

"But before you say anything, Kristoff, don't you dare apologize for the trouble. The bloodline is already 'corrupted' as it is."

Kristoff had heard this from Anna many times, but it was still comforting.

"And thank goodness it is. Some of those marriages I've been reading about...well, some princesses were considered lucky if their husbands were less than twice their age."

"Oh, you should have seen some of the 'prospects' they tried to propose to me before my coronation. Kai shut them down quickly, but I learned after the fact. After the incident at my coronation, they largely gave up, thank goodness."

"And I didn't have to deal with that at all! They knew I was way too far gone for you before the idea even took root."

"Really that obvious that I'm a catch, huh?" Kristoff joked, winking at Anna (who giggled) and ignoring Elsa (who jokingly stuck out her tongue at both) and Mari (the instigator of the tongue-sticking, who had just approached the group).

"Hang on a second," Kristoff noticed; "I'm failing at my job of keeping you two from spending your holiday working! How about a snowball fight instead?"

All of them bundled up (except for Elsa, Sven, and the reindeer from Northuldra) and headed outside for an enthusiastic snowball war. They returned inside for hot chocolate before Kristoff enlisted Mari to help with the stew and they all gathered back together for a meal.

Kristoff wasn't necessarily dreading the return to lessons the way he had when they had first begun, but he wasn't terribly enthusiastic, either. They had also planned to have him canvas the local businesses: stop by and ask various business owners for their opinions about the new trade agreements. Anna and the others had thought it might be helpful to have someone not directly considered royalty to act as a liaison rather than Anna herself or the council members.

Kristoff expected further instructions about this activity when lessons resumed, but when he and Mari entered the library, Gerda asked Mari to stay and sent Kristoff to the ballroom.

This made him nervous. It wasn't one of the days on which they held a town hall-Kristoff had been to those, although he still acted as a passive participant rather than standing with Anna-and he wondered what other business he could possibly have in the ballroom on a normal afternoon.

His worst fears were confirmed when a well-dressed gentleman looked him up and down and handed him a pair of ridiculous-looking shoes, impractical for any kind of work or travel. He had seen many officials, dignitaries, and visitors wear shoes like these; but sized up for his abnormally large feet, they looked like small boats rather than large shoes.

"It is high time that you learned the art of ballroom dancing," The man articulated in his deep, formal voice.

Kristoff gulped.

"I mean...I have danced before. I've been to balls with Anna, and-"

"And your steps are rudimentary and uncertain. Not bad for a beginner, especially one of your substantial size; but when attention is focused on you, you will need to be more practiced."

"Shouldn't Anna be here, then?"

"Her Majesty has other concerns at the moment; and after all, she has much more experience, and the gentleman is meant to lead. She will join us once you have enough knowledge to learn some new, specific dances for upcoming events."

He sighed. There was no avoiding it, then.

The shoes pinched and had an odd little heel, giving him even more admiration for the torturous formal wear that Anna's position required. It took him a few minutes even to walk without tripping over his feet; at previous events, he had gotten away with wearing boots, albeit more formal ones than his usual footwear. Even the shoes he had worn for the statue unveiling as "practice for being in the public eye" (mostly as a surprise for Anna) hadn't been quite as bad.

When he finally mastered walking, the instructor began teaching him the most basic steps, counting rhythmically as he had Kristoff imitate. "Proper posture! Don't look at your feet! One, two, three…"

Whenever he felt that he was just starting to master something, the instructor would immediately switch techniques. He even experienced no discomfort dancing with Kristoff to practice proper form, sometimes leading, but most times acting in the traditional female role, transitioning gracefully from the steps he showed Kristoff.

Just as he was realizing that dancing was surprisingly tiring, Mari, now freed from her lesson, ran into the ballroom. Kristoff thought this would be a great opportunity to end the lesson, but the instructor insisted on a few more practice steps. As a compromise, he had Mari stand on his feet while he learned them, her loud laughs and comments causing the instructor to roll his eyes.

Still-worth it.


	13. Chapter 13: Having a Ball

"_You are hereby cordially invited to a ball celebrating the betrothal of Her Majesty Queen Anna of Arendelle and Lord Kristoff Bjorgman of Arendelle," _Anna read aloud as Kristoff leaned over her shoulder to look.

"It's so formal," Kristoff commented.

"Of course it is. We're getting married. Not having second thoughts, are you?" Anna teased.

"No! Of course not!" Kristoff wrapped her in a hug.

"Especially not in front of her very protective older sister, who could easily turn you into a block of ice," Elsa teased, raising an eyebrow at Kristoff and twirling a large snowflake above her open hand.

Kristoff laughed nervously; Elsa finally cracked a smile.

"Because it's still cold, I don't expect too many foreign representatives to attend, but that's just as well. They've already been summoned for the festival last autumn, the coronation, and now the wedding...I like to think visiting Arendelle is lovely for them, but they do need time in their own kingdoms as well."

Kristoff and Anna nodded in agreement. Kristoff had spoken with dignitaries and ambassadors before, but had been spared from meeting much of the royalty as of yet-that would likely change at the wedding.

"It will be a great opportunity to have a formal event with Arendelle and Northuldra," Anna mused. "Our citizens can get used to seeing Northuldra represented at important formal events."

Elsa smiled. "I'm glad you feel that way. I'm sure they will be honored to attend. There are still some hesitations about integrating the two lands, and for good reason; but no one doubts your worthiness as queen or the love that you two share."

Kristoff beamed at Anna, who blushed as a result of her sister's praise.

"Of course. How could anyone doubt Anna?" Kristoff asked, winking at his future wife.

Elsa nodded in agreement.

"Aw, stop it, you two! As queen, I have enough flattery coming my way as it is."

"That's just because it's true. But if it makes you feel any better, I can always tease you about your secret chocolate stash or the fact that you slide around the castle in your socks when no one's watching," Kristoff suggested.

"You know, I think I'll pass on that tempting offer," Anna laughed.

While they were talking, Mari slid into the room.

"What's everyone looking at?"

"Invitations for our official betrothal celebration," Anna explained.

"Wait, what?"

"We're getting married," Kristoff translated.

"I knew that!" Mari argued, hands on her hips, "But I thought you were getting married in the summer!"

"Right. This is just celebrating the fact that they're _betrothed_. Meaning that they're _planning_ to get married," Elsa elaborated.

"But then why not just celebrate when they actually _do _get married?" Mari asked.

Kristoff laughed. "That's the most valid question I've heard all day."

"She does have a point," Elsa conceded.

"But there's never a bad reason for a celebration, right? The whole kingdom will be welcome there, and there will be food and dancing...it will be fun! You'll see," Anna reassured them all.

"The whole kingdom? That does sound fun!" the little girl exclaimed before running out of the room again to find Olaf.

Kristoff's studies were preparing him for each aspect of the event-dancing, learning names of important guests, reviewing the silverware arrangement (he would probably just follow Anna's lead on that one anyway), and altering his formalwear to match the dress Anna would be wearing (he knew Anna was queen, but how many formal dresses did she need?).

Anna was busy receiving and responding to invited guests' answers, particularly those of foreign dignitaries. Sometimes she would pass letters to Kristoff, showing him that they had sent their well-wishes to both Anna and him. It was odd receiving well wishes from important people he had never met and seeing his name written on such formal-looking documents sealed with wax royal crests.

Still, as he started to recognize more and more of the names, often able to provide a tidbit of information from his studies to go along with them, Anna looked at him with love and pride and he started to think that maybe he _could _be of some use to her in the future.

The thought made him even more excited for their upcoming marriage.

The wedding itself-the big, formal, royal event-still had him torn. But he was excited about the marriage.

Mari became more and more excitable as well. It became even more difficult to keep up with her lessons when Gerda needed to be of assistance directing the castle's traffic and Mari had an endless string of questions about the preparations that were occurring.

One day, when they dismissed Mari and Kristoff was interrupted in his reading about foreign allies by a heavy sigh from Gerda, Kristoff had an idea.

"Why don't we send her to school? She's picked up on the language pretty well, and it would probably be good for her to be around other kids her age."

Gerda hesitated. "I don't want you thinking I can't do this-I saw to Queen Anna's lessons just fine, and you can imagine how she was as a child!-but it might be a good idea, for her sake."

The next morning, Kristoff brought Mari to the local schoolhouse to talk with Arendelle's lower school teacher.

The woman was skeptical, having heard of Mari's origin and arrival at the castle; but given Arendelle's welcoming nature and the work the girl had done with Gerda, she agreed.

Mari had already joined a group of local children, and was happy to hear the news. He turned back to the school teacher before leaving.

"Thanks again, I really-"

"MR. KRISTOFF!"

This exclamation was followed by the sound of many small footfalls, and he was suddenly surrounded by round, eager faces.

"We're so glad to see you!"

"Why haven't you been here in a while?"

"Are you going to write songs for us again?"

"Where's Sven?"

"How are the trolls?"

Kristoff laughed. It was true that, with Anna's changing responsibilities and then Mari's arrival, he hadn't stopped by the school with her as much as he had in the past.

"How about I stop by after school with Sven? And we'll see if we can come up with a song for An-for the Queen's birthday," Kristoff proposed.

"But isn't that in the summer?" asked one of the older students.

"That's _ages _from now!" a little one objected.

"Children, it's almost time for class to start! Go in and find your seats," the teacher called.

Kristoff gave her a wave of thanks, and waved goodbye to the children.

Mari just gave him an odd look before rushing inside with the others.

As promised, Kristoff went to fetch Sven from the stables before the end of the school day.

"Hey, buddy. Sorry I haven't been around as much," Kristoff said, approaching Sven in the stables.

"_That's ok. Jaska's prettier than you anyway," _Kristoff said in his Sven voice, gesturing to the reindeer from Northuldra whom Sven had befriended. The female reindeer looked toward Sven, seeming surprised, but flattered.

Kristoff found himself confiding in his friend, regardless of the looks he was surely attracting as he walked through town.

"It's so hard to stay focused on all of this royal nonsense sometimes...but then I spend some time with Anna, and I actually start to understand what's going on in all of those letters she has to answer, and then it feels like it's all worth it! I'm just not sure if I'll ever really get there, you know? Everything is moving so quickly and so slowly at the same time."

"_You can say that again!" _he said in his Sven voice. "_I loved meeting all of the Northuldra reindeer, especially Jaska. But now I feel torn between here and there. At least here I have a comfortable stable and some carrots," _Kristoff gave Sven a carrot.

"And me," he reminded his friend, though he did feel guilty for spending so much less time in the stables.

When the school bell rang and the children ran out into the streets, Sven was swarmed by admirers. He seemed very much in his element. Kristoff was slightly less so, although he did think that kids asked much more interesting questions than adults.

"How old is Sven?"

"How long do reindeer live?" (That one was a little morbid.)

"Do all reindeer have harnesses like Sven's? Did you make it, or buy it?"

"Does Sven really talk, or is it just you talking for him?"

Kristoff laughed when he saw Mari leave the school. She looked happy, but exhausted; and without Gerda's constant reminders and assistance, she had tangled her hair, smudged ink on her nose, and rubbed chalk dust all over her small frock.

As they walked back to the castle-Mari on Sven's back-he heard some stories about her school day. Mostly, she talked about the lunches everyone had brought, and how she shared some pastries that the kitchen staff had sent her.

Elsa came to stay in the castle the week of the celebration, though she occasionally returned to Northuldra to reassure her people that they were more than welcome and to explain what to expect at a formal event in Arendelle.

It was kind of nice to have the former queen back, and seeing her fret over details and praise the staff for their great work brought him back to old times.

It was also nice that, now that Anna was queen, she wasn't preoccupied over chasing Elsa around and looking after her wellbeing. She occasionally reminded her sister not to stress too much over the event, but mostly, Anna had her own stress to occupy her time.

In the evenings, the three of them took time away from their responsibilities-a rare occurrence back when Elsa was in charge-to simply spend time with their little family.

As usual, the day of the event itself passed in a whirlwind of constricting formal attire, seemingly minute details, and small talk with the nobility.

What was different was that Kristoff felt more confident than usual. He was still nervous, of course, but he felt much better equipped to handle these situations when he knew more about the routine and the procedure. Just like ice harvesting, hosting and conversing at a social event had a specific and delicate set of steps in order to avoid drowning.

While he and Anna enjoyed the food-it was odd to be right next to her at the center of attention, when usually events like this had set her and Elsa apart from him-Kristoff noticed an older couple (Two members of the council, the...Haugens! That was it.) whispering to each other and regarding him with surprise.

He froze. Had he slurped his soup? Used the wrong spoon?

Mrs. Haugen caught his eye.

"So sorry to be rude, Your Majesty, Lord Kristoff, but...is this really the same man from the mountains that you began courting?"

"Um...yes? I mean, I didn't replace him with a substitute. I know the whole thing with Hans went down pretty quickly, but…" Anna stumbled over her words.

"Oh no, I meant no offense! It's just that his manners have improved greatly. Lord Kristoff, it seems your manners have become much more fitting of your future station."

"Um...thank you?" Kristoff wasn't quite sure how to respond to what seemed to be an attempt at a compliment.

Still, it was a relief that he hadn't messed something up accidentally.

After dinner, he and Anna were to walk around the town, greeting everyone who had not made the cut for the official dinner and dancing portion of the evening.

Kristoff spotted Mari, Olaf, Sven, and the young royal staff member who had been assigned to supervise them. Mari and Olaf were running wildly around the town, and Kristoff sympathized with the woman trying desperately to keep up. It was odd seeing someone else in that position.

Still, he had to focus on the task at hand. It took much of his concentration to maintain the same formal posture that seemed to come so naturally to Anna and Elsa.

It was even more difficult once they had returned to the castle for the formal dancing. Unlike past events, he got to be Anna's first dance partner, and he was suddenly grateful for the lessons he had so reluctantly attended.

Anna's face lit up as he led them around the dance floor, still not entirely confident, but more so than usual.

He figured that it would be nice not to embarrass himself in front of the whole crowd; but in the moment, all that really mattered was Anna's smiling face, her cheeks flushed from the heat of the crowded ballroom and the movement of the dance.

Anna was still expected to talk and dance with other guests, but Kristoff figured he could step to the side rather than find another dance partner.

He saw Elsa off to the side as well, standing with Ryder and Honeymaren. Elsa and Honeymaren were chatting about the many differences between celebrations in Arendelle and Northuldra, while Ryder looked rather shell shocked as he stared into the crowd.

"This sure is...something. A lot to take in," Ryder commented to Kristoff as he approached.

"Believe me, I feel the same way. Not exactly what my life was like growing up. Even Elsa and Anna were new to celebrations like this just a few years ago."

"Yeah...being isolated for your entire life, and then finding yourself in a completely different situation...I can understand that," Ryder said solemnly. Kristoff nodded in understanding.

"It's kind of crazy, you know? All my life, I was trapped in the forest, and all we could do was wish that it would change someday...but we had no reason to believe that anything would. And now suddenly the whole world is open to us, but...I don't really know what that means. I keep thinking about how Elsa traded her whole life for a completely different one, and Anna stayed where she was and found her place, and you just got thrown into something completely new…"

Kristoff laughed at that.

"I guess I just...don't know where I fit into all of it. How are you supposed to know?"

That was an interesting question, and one Kristoff hadn't necessarily considered. He paused for a moment before speaking.

"Honestly? I don't think you can know until one day, you suddenly just...do. I was perfectly happy harvesting ice and spending my time with Sven and my family until Anna walked into my life. And she kind of barged in, too. Threw carrots at my head and demanded I bring her up a mountain. It was pretty extreme."

Ryder laughed.

"And then this past year, we thought everything was going so well. We were all perfectly fine where we were. And then suddenly Elsa starts hearing this voice and finds out that she's supposed to do something totally different, so now Anna has to do something totally different."

There was another pause while Kristoff tried to come up with some sort of advice about what it all meant.

"I guess you just keep doing what you love, and wait for the rest to work itself out," Kristoff mused, watching the woman he loved twirl across the dance floor to an organized step he didn't recognize.

Ryder nodded. "It's not like I don't enjoy my life. I like working with the reindeer, being with my family...and now that the mist is gone, we're starting to get visitors to the forest occasionally, and visiting here is nice, too."

"That's great! There are so many huge adjustments since the mist lifted. I think it's good to just take time to work through them all."

They stood and watched the dancing for a moment before the door opened, and a shout of "Young lady, come _back _here!" reached the group gathered by the wall.

In a flash of bare feet and blonde hair, Mari was suddenly standing between Kristoff and Ryder, using her best posture to act like she belonged.

"Good evening. How is everyone enjoying the festivities?" she asked.

Kristoff and Ryder stifled laughs.

"Mari, something tells me you're supposed to be in bed. And by 'something', I mean your pajamas and the woman chasing after you."

The flustered woman stood at the door, trying to gesture to the girl without intruding on the celebration. Kristoff walked over to her.

"If you don't mind, just let her stay here for a bit. I'll bring her upstairs shortly. Thank you for looking after her," Kristoff advised.

The woman hesitated, but nodded, clearly not wanting to contradict him. It was an odd feeling having people simply accept what he told them.

Anna had come back to join them, and was now showing Mari how to do some of the steps from the previous dance. Honeymaren imitated as well, intrigued, and Elsa even joined in with some hesitation.

Kristoff smiled. As long as he had these people in his life, events like this were tolerable.

It took no small effort to convince Mari to leave the celebration. Kristoff enlisted Olaf's help, which worked at first, but soon backfired.

"But why do I have to sleep? Olaf doesn't have to sleep!"

Kristoff blinked. "You're human. He's a magical snowman."

"Can Elsa turn me into a magical snowman so I don't have to sleep either?"

"It doesn't really work that way," Kristoff responded, shaking away images of a frozen Anna.

"If we ask nicely, maybe Sven will read us a bedtime story!" Olaf said with excitement.

Kristoff sighed. "You two go upstairs. I'll get Sven and meet you up there."

"Yay!" the two exclaimed, running up the palace steps.

Kristoff returned to the ballroom to explain the situation to Anna, who was happy to excuse him for a while longer.

When Kristoff and Sven made it back up to the room, Mari and Olaf seemed to be having an intense conversation.

"Maybe she doesn't like parties. Some people are weird like that. Kristoff is," Olaf commented seriously.

"Who's weird like Kristoff?"

"No one!" Mari responded immediately.

"Mari was wondering why her mother wasn't at the celebration," Olaf explained.

"Olaf!" Mari chided, flinging herself down on the bed.

"What? Maybe he can help us solve the mystery! Can you, Kristoff? Or maybe Sven?"

Kristoff deflated. It was obvious that something had been on the child's mind throughout the preparations for the party, and he wished that he had put the pieces together sooner.

"Well, not everyone always comes into town. Sometimes people live far away, or have other things to do…" he trailed off, not sure how to continue. Mari continued to hide her face.

"Look. I don't know exactly how to find your mother, but how about we try? Maybe you can at least visit with her and see her again. Would that be good?"

"Yes," came the muffled answer.

"Do you still want Sven to tell you a bedtime story?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Yay! Ok Sven, ready when you are," Olaf prompted, sitting down in front of the fireplace.

Once Mari was asleep, Kristoff left Sven and Olaf to look after her and returned to the party in time to send off the departing guests.

As soon as the last person departed-not counting Elsa, of course-Anna had her shoes off and was recounting her many interactions, most positive.

Kristoff said goodnight to the sisters before remembering his mission to try to track down Mari's mother once again-not wanting to disturb Anna, he decided to leave a note in her study.

As he was writing it, he thought of one more topic he wanted to discuss, and jotted that down as well. Otherwise, he might change his mind.

When Kristoff returned to his normal room to change out of his stuffy formal clothes, he was greeted by Olaf, Sven, and a large pile of blankets that turned out to be Mari.

"She wanted to hide and scare you when you got here, but then we all got tired," Olaf explained.

Kristoff sighed, brought the pile of blankets and sleeping child back into a different room, and changed into his normal clothes.

"Come on, Sven. Let's get you back to the stables. I know I could use some fresh air…"

As a result, once he was there-exhausted from the day's responsibilities-he made the decision to sleep in the cooler stables, just like old times.

He woke much earlier than he expected, and the first sight he saw was Anna, leaning over the door to Sven's stall and brushing back tears.

"Anna! What happened? What's wrong?" He scrambled up out of the hay, wrapped his hands around Anna's waist, and lifted her into the stall to press her up against his chest.

She said something, but it was too muffled to decipher.

"What?"

"You left! Olaf said you left!"

Kristoff sighed. "Anna, you know I would never _really _leave! It's just, I brought Sven inside, so then I had to bring him back, and then the air out here was really nice and I didn't feel like walking back…but I'm so sorry to scare you."

She sniffed. "That's what he said in the forest, too. When I couldn't find you. He told me that you left. I guess it just...brought back memories. And then I found your note, and that made it worse somehow."

"Right. Ok. What about the note? I think it could be a good idea to try to let Mari see her mother again…"

"Not that part."

He hesitated. "Deciding that I might want to see Ahtohallan? Why does that bother you?"

Anna slumped down into the pile of hay. Sven gestured to the door, and Kristoff let him out before sitting back down next to Anna. After a moment, she spoke again.

"Why do you think Elsa left?" she asked.

Kristoff pondered this sudden change of subject.

"I mean, you were there. Magical voice, journey through the forest, something about the fifth spirit, the fact that you deserve to be queen…"

"But what if it was something else?" Anna interrupted.

"There was already so much going on, I don't think there's much room for anything else…"

"Look. I knew Elsa was never fully comfortable in her life as queen, but she was doing so much better! We both were! I thought for once that we could just be _happy_, and not have everything _changing _all the time, and now she acts like she was never even meant for that life! You know?"

"...Maybe? I'm going to be honest, I'm not entirely following your train of thought, but I'll do my best. It seems like maybe you should be talking with her about this."

"Kristoff! What if you find something better? A life that suits you more than this one? What if you get sick of this and decide it isn't for you?"

Now he was starting to understand.

"Anna. That's not going to happen."

"But how do you _know? _Elsa didn't tell me she planned to run off and start a new life either, until she suddenly did!"

"I mean, she did once run off and build an ice palace so she could live alone…"

"That was different!"

"All right, it was different. But so is this. Anna, if Elsa is meant to be there, then you're meant to be here, right?"

"Yes."

"And if you're meant to be here, then so am I. Simple as that."

"How can you be sure?"

"Because it's true love," he said simply.

"How can you be so sure?"

Kristoff was startled by the question. It wasn't like Anna to question true love.

He reached out and grabbed Anna's left hand. Even in her nightdress, with her hair in messy braids that were coming apart and now contained strands of hay, she was wearing her engagement ring.

"Because of this," Kristoff explained, letting his thumb pass over the bright orange stone. "You said yes. We chose each other. And we'll keep choosing each other. Every single day."

Her watery eyes met his, and she sniffed.

"I'm sorry. I'm a complete mess right now," she laughed.

"You're not. You're beautiful, and you always are, and I can't wait to spend every morning like this. Waking up with you. Except somewhere less smelly, and with less hay," he explained, removing a strand from her hair as she laughed.

He continued to move his hands through her hair, untangling the messy braids until it fell in loose waves around her face. They lay there until they both felt better.

Though they did feel _slightly _bad for the poor stable hand who walked in on his queen and her lover, in their pajamas, tangled up in the hay and kissing passionately.

He was definitely getting used to royal life, but privacy was unfortunately difficult to come by.


	14. Chapter 14: Even When It's Tough

"Elsa?"

She looked up from the book that lay on her crossed legs. They hadn't been surprised to find her awake, in the library, indulging in some light reading before breakfast.

Her eyes moved back and forth between the two of them, eyebrow raised.

"Do I want to know the story behind where you've been?"

Kristoff blushed, plucking a piece of hay from Anna's slightly disheveled hair, but Anna continued undeterred.

"I just got a little...I don't know...freaked out? And I was wondering if we could talk."

"Of course." Elsa closed the book on her lap and gestured to a comfortable sofa nearby.

Generally, Kristoff would leave them alone for these kinds of conversations; but Anna's hand remained firmly interlocked in his own, so he followed her over and sat down.

The silence was uncharacteristic for Anna, but they waited as she steeled herself and took a breath.

"The past few years since we reconnected and we met," (here she gestured to Kristoff), "have been the best years of my life so far. No comparison. At all."

The other two nodded in agreement.

"But like we've talked about, all of those years of being alone and living separate lives...they don't just go away. So even though I probably shouldn't, I still question things. If this is even real. If it's going to last. If you both feel the same way that I do. And Elsa, I'm so happy to see how happy you are after moving to Northuldra...but it just makes me question whether you were happy when you were here. I was. I thought we both were. And then you left, and I know you didn't _really _leave, not for good, but...I guess you weren't as happy as you seemed."

"Oh, Anna…" Elsa crossed the room, sat on Anna's other side, and wrapped her arms around her sister, bringing the younger woman's head onto her shoulder. Anna continued, her voice muffled but still audible.

"If you felt like this was too much for _you, _how in the world am _I _going to do it? And at least you and I were raised for life in the castle, but Kristoff, you were free before! And now you're not! And what if it's all just too much?"

Elsa's eyes met Kristoff's, and he was somehow relieved to see some of the same fear and uncertainty that he felt, in spite of Elsa's calm words toward her sister: "First of all, Anna, I don't ever want you to think that I left because I wasn't happy here. Actually, that was why I didn't tell you at first about the voice. I wanted to ignore it, make it go away, so that I wouldn't risk ruining everything we have here. It made me realize that, now, I actually _have_ something to lose!"

Anna sniffed. Elsa continued.

"I'm still learning exactly how the spirits and Ahtohallan actually work, and what they know and want and plan, but...the timing wasn't accidental. The reason we had to risk everything was because it was _good_, not because it was _bad. _We weren't strong enough before. Ahtohallan knows that _I _would never be strong enough without _you_.

"It wasn't possible to repair the past until we repaired what was happening with us, right now. We had to recover from...everything, and I had to learn how to live with myself, and you had to be of age to rule the kingdom.

"There was nothing wrong with how things were before. It was a step toward our lives now, but a good one, and an important one."

They sat in silence for a moment longer. Elsa seemed more confident now, which reassured Kristoff. Then she sighed.

"Anna, I'm so sorry that we haven't had this conversation before. I'm so sorry that I ever let you believe that I didn't want to be around you. I was just scared. Fear is….we keep thinking we have it under control, and then it just keeps sneaking up on us again."

Now Anna laughed darkly, wiping her eyes and lifting up her head. "Yeah. You've got that right."

She turned toward Kristoff and took his hand. "Speaking of what Ahtohallan knows...Kristoff is thinking of going there for some answers."

"Really?" Elsa met his sheepish gaze with a smile. "I think that would be great."

"I was thinking we could try to find a time when all of us could go. I know that might be difficult with Anna's busy schedule and the wedding plans and everything, but it's important to me to have her there," Kristoff explained.

"Of course," Elsa agreed.

"And he wants to reassure me that he won't find some kind of secret destiny and leave me for it," Anna added, trying and failing to lighten her tone.

Kristoff sighed, pulling Anna against his chest and hugging her close.

"That's not really how it works," Elsa explained. "Anna, I will never forget how happy the two of you looked on the day you got engaged. If that wasn't meant to be, then I don't know what is! Your marriage will be a beautiful example to the kingdom. Just like Mother and Father were."

"Right!" Kristoff remembered. "Anna, your mother left the forest to live in the castle, and she was just fine. Not saying I'll ever become that sophisticated, but it's not like it's impossible to make that transition."

"And you're doing just fine, Kristoff," Elsa reassured.

"And I'll never stop trying to support you in any way I can, Anna," he added.

Anna straightened up, looking back and forth between the two of them.

"Thank you. Both of you. I'm sorry that I sometimes question...everything. Thanks for being there for me."

"Always," Elsa smiled, pulling her sister into a hug and gesturing for Kristoff to join.

It was strange how natural this was after years of having no human family and no close friends other than Sven.

Their thoughts were interrupted, however, by the distinct sound of Anna's stomach. They laughed.

"Breakfast?" Elsa offered, and the three of them got up and walked toward the kitchens.

Once they were seated and the conversation had become more comfortable and less intense, Elsa returned to the topic of Ahtohallan.

"Kristoff, what made you decide that you wanted answers? Is there anything in particular that you're looking for?"

Kristoff could tell that Elsa was trying to maintain her composure in spite of her enthusiasm toward the source of her magic, and that Anna was doing the same in spite of her continued misgivings.

"Well...actually, it was Mari's request to find her mother that prompted it. I never knew my mother, and I never knew what happened to my father, and I just thought...it might be nice to know."

Both Elsa and Anna smiled sadly at him. In spite of the fact that they, too, were orphans, they at least had memories of their parents.

"Oh! About that. I think I know someone who might help with tracking down Mari's-"

At that moment, the windows rattled and blew open. Elsa started, then laughed as the wind spirit drifted in and circled the three of them.

"I guess I was right. Shall we send a note?"

"Something like 'your daughter is at the castle. Come and see her'?" Kristoff asked.

"Something like that, but maybe less threatening," Elsa suggested, quickly locating a sheet of paper and a pen even in the dining room.

She pondered the scrap of paper, wrote a bit, and asked for Anna's approval on the wording of the question. Kristoff found the process exhausting, the way Elsa fretted over sounding too formal, too condescending, or too familiar. When he read, it was to receive information, not analyze the layers of possible intentions beneath every word.

Finally, she had Anna and Kristoff sign off on the finished note.

_As you may know, your daughter has been staying at Arendelle castle since late last autumn. She requested that we reach out to you and invite you to visit her. You are welcome in the castle, or we can set up a meeting in another location at your earliest convenience._

_With warmest regards,_

_Anna, Kristoff, and Elsa_

Gale floated off with the letter, and Kristoff closed the window to shield them from the winter air.

"Great! Now we can tell Mari that we made progress!" Anna exclaimed.

Kristoff and Elsa exchanged a look.

"Maybe we should wait for a response," Kristoff suggested. "I know how you feel about secrets, but this would just be to...avoid the potential for disappointment."

Anna's shoulders sagged. "I know you're right, but what parent would ignore their own child?"

The question hung heavy in the air.

Kristoff answered any of Mari's future questions about seeing her mother with "We're working on it. I promise," and tried to keep her spirits up. Eventually, she stopped asking. It was equal parts relief and heartbreak.

Still, it wasn't all bad. Mari had made a friend, a girl named Linnea, whose mother always seemed frazzled and skeptical. Finally, Mari-with Kristoff's permission-convinced her to allow the girl to spend an evening at the castle after school.

Most students had visited, but only on special occasions; Linnea was awed to see Mari's bedroom and follow Olaf to the secret kitchen entrance. Mari, on the other hand, seemed annoyed by her friend's focus on where she lived.

"Sometimes I just want to be a normal kid with a normal house. You know?" she asked Kristoff.

Kristoff nodded. "I do, actually."

Once the two girls and Olaf began to play hide and seek around the castle and run around the gardens, Mari's mood improved. Kristoff brought them a picnic lunch, and they shared ridiculous rumors about what was happening in town. Most of it was ridiculous, picked up in snippets and exaggerated by the children, but it wasn't honestly that different from the way the parents gossiped after school.

Sometimes, they stopped talking as he approached.

After Linnea's visit, Mari began to spend more time with children from Arendelle, inviting them to the castle or visiting their homes. Kristoff never got past the discomfort of interacting with mothers and fathers who eyed him warily around town, especially with Mari's added discomfort of knowing that she was different.

It was early March when Mari suddenly gasped as they began to walk back to the castle from the school.

"Mama!"

Kristoff froze, unsure how to proceed as Mari ran into the arms of a weary-looking woman with tears in her eyes.

"My baby! How I've missed you!"

Kristoff stood off to the side, trying not to intrude as the two reconnected.

Eventually, Mari pointed at him, and the two walked over.

"My daughter tells me about what you've done for her. I am very grateful. I hope you'll allow me to spend some time with her while I'm in town."

"Of course," Kristoff responded stiffly.

"I'll have her back to the castle by dark," she offered.

"Yeah. Great. Sure."

As the two of them walked off, Kristoff remained on the cobblestone path in front of the school as if rooted to the ground. He nearly jumped when he heard a voice off to his side.

"Lord Kristoff."

He turned to see one of the palace guards.

"We will monitor their whereabouts and keep an eye on the child."

Kristoff blinked. "I hope that won't be necessary. But...thank you? Maybe you could give them some coin for a meal?" he offered, presenting the guard with a couple of shiny pieces, some with his future wife's profile and others with Elsa's.

"Of course, sir." The guard bowed stiffly and walked off through the town.

Kristoff retrieved Sven for a ride, and then found himself wandering the town with his reindeer companion. Finally, he settled on bringing Anna a few chocolates, and departed for the castle.

When Anna rushed in for dinner after a meeting that had run late, she chattered happily before pausing. "Where's Mari tonight? And what's with your weird face? Not that your face is weird, it's more like your mood…"

"Mari's mother came to the school today and brought her into town."

"Oh wow! That's...good!" Anna smiled hesitantly.

"Yeah. I just don't know...how long she's staying? If she's bringing Mari back with her? I just don't know."

"Well, I'll talk to her! It will be good. I bet she can find a job in town and get her life back on track! Let me think, who's hiring…?"

While Anna went through a mental list of odd jobs she might recommend for Mari's mother, Kristoff's stomach still churned.

It was good that Mari had family around. He just didn't want her to be disappointed.

Or was it him who might be disappointed if she suddenly didn't need him anymore?

He sighed. Sometimes it was difficult to know.


End file.
